A hui hou kakou
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: "Why shouldn't I have asked Catherine out?" Steve asked. "Well, I don't know, let me see..." Danny turned around, and pretended to think. "Maybe because we have a mission in our hands, which came with three very interesting extras: a woman and twins! And then there's the yakuza. Did I mention there're yakuza clans involved? I'm pretty sure I did..." Catherine x Steve x OC.
1. Mahalo

**Disclaimer:** I only own the Original Characters and the plot.  
**Title:** A hui hou kakou  
**Authoress Note:** This is my first time trying to write _Hawaii Five-0_. I can only hope you will enjoy it. Catherine Rollins will be around as well as Gabrielle Asano. However, Lori Weston will not. Also, let me tell you _English_ is my _**second**_ language, so I apologize for any mistake you may find. Thank you for your attention!  
**Summary:** "Why shouldn't I have asked her out?" "Well, I don't know, let me see..." Danny turned around, and pretended to think. "Maybe because we have a mission in our hands, which came with three very interesting extras: a woman and twins! And then there's the yakuza. Did I mention there're yakuza clans after the woman and the twins? I'm pretty sure I did..." Catherine x Steve x OC.

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**A hui hou kakou**

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**Chapter I**  
_Mahalo_

That morning was a glorious one. The sky was sparkling; the sunlight was temperate while a light breeze was playing with the trees. Only the sound of ambulances had enough power to break the tranquillity of such magnificent moment. Inside Honolulu Hospital things were not all calm either. Doctors, surgeons and nurses were running around, some patients needing immediate attention while others were getting ready to abandon the facilities.

"_Aloha_, Olina," a woman greeted as she approached the reception area, a wide smile on her face, and she immediately put a cup of coffee on top of the counter, "Black with a bit of sugar, just like you enjoy it."

"Oh, _mahalo_, Kailani. How are you today?" the elderly woman said, her hair pulled into a tight bun. Smiling, she reached out for the coffee, and promptly took a long sip. "You know, you're very sweet for bringing me one of these every time you come here."

"Well, guess what? I brought you something else today too." Kailani Makaio said, creating a bit of suspense. As her smile widened, she raised her other hand, and settled a small paper bag on the counter. "I know you can't eat on the job, but I hope you enjoy that _malasada_."

"What's with all the treats today?" Olina asked as she raised a hand in direction of the bag, only to gaze at Kailani moments later. "Not that I'm complaining of course."

"I guess I'm just excited," Kailani confessed, and Olina raised an eyebrow at that. At the look on the receptionist's face, she decided to elaborate. "Last time I came here, the doctor told me I'll be able to take the twins home with me in a week."

"Really? That's great!" Olina exclaimed, a wide smile gracing her wrinkled face. "Those two bring so much joy to the hospital, but it's good to know they'll be home soon enough."

"Yes, I'm so happy! I can't wait to tell them the news!" Kailani agreed, but before she could proceed, Olina looked over her shoulder as she stood up. In confusion, Kailani followed her stare, and found herself staring at the front doors of the hospital.

Two men were walking inside, both looking rather battered and bloody. The tallest one, with black hair, was looking far worse than the other with blond hair.

"Lieutenant Commander McGarrett!" Olina exclaimed all of a sudden, in a rather stern tone, all signs of happiness vanishing from her face, "Detective Williams! Do I even want to know what happened this time?"

"It's his fault!" the blond haired man said as he pointed a thumb in direction of the tallest one. "I keep saying he needs treatment, and I truly am willing to help him pay for it. He just doesn't get it that he's not some bloody Spartan!"

"Well, excuse me for saving you from falling down a cliff." the tallest one retorted as they stopped one arm-length away from the reception's desk. "Next time, I'll just leave you hanging there."

"I wouldn't have almost fallen off a cliff if you hadn't chased our suspect all the way up the freaking mountain!" the blond snapped back, waving his arms around as he did. "Seriously, when will you learn how to interrogate people the normal way?"

"Ladies, do I have to remind you we're in a hospital?" Olina interrupted them as she put her cup of coffee away in order to rest her hands on her hips. From Kailani's point of view, the older lady seemed like a mother scolding her two sons. "This is unbelievable. I want you two to go to the waiting room, and stay there while I call for a doctor."

As Olina picked the phone, the two men shared a glance. When they did not move, Olina stared hard at them, and Kailani had to do her best not to start laughing right there. In front of her were two full grown men, looking like two boys who had been caught with their hands on the cookie jar.

"Did I not make myself clear?" Olina asked with her left hand still on her hip. Then, her dark brown eyes turned to Kailani. "Sweetie, do you mind accompanying these two reckless boys to the waiting room? I want to make sure they don't bite each other's heads off while they're unattended."

"Great, now people are treating us like children because you don't listen to me," the blond haired man complained as he threw his arms in the air. When he felt Olina's intent look on him, however, he immediately went silent.

"We don't need a babysitter." the dark haired man commented as they started making their way in direction of the waiting room, causing Kailani to follow them closely. When their eyes met, Kailani inwardly took in the colour of his eyes before rolling her own.

"Right, not coming with you would leave me to deal with Olina's lecture." she said, crossing her arms against her chest as they walked through the door. "No, thank you. She can be really intimidating when she's angry, and you two obviously know that because we're here."

"You idiotic Navy SEAL brute..." the blond man muttered under his breath as he sat down on the closest chair, looking away as he did so. The other one turned to him at that, and Kailani silently took in the tattoos he had on his biceps.

"You're a Navy SEAL?" she asked before she could stop herself, and a pair of deep blue eyes turned to her once again. Not knowing what to do; she waved a hand towards his uninjured arm. "Couldn't help but notice that."

"Yeah, I was." he responded as he turned to face her. "Listen, thank you for your cooperation, but we're alright. We don't need you to watch over us."

"Trust me, Spartan, I will leave as soon as the doctor arrives," Kailani told him as she raised her right hand in the air. "I don't want Olina to lecture me for not doing what she told me to. I've enough experience to know that."

"My name's not Spartan."

"I kind of liked it, and I think it suits you. Blame your friend for that." Kailani said with a knowing smile, and the man parted his lips to retort. That was when a doctor walked inside, and walked towards them. "Now I can finally go. Take care, Spartan."

Smiling at the man sitting on the chair, Kailani turned around, and walked out of the waiting room. When she was positive no one was watching her, she stopped walking, and closed her hands into fists at same time she bit her lower lip. What the hell had been that? Had she actually tried to flirt with the man? She did not even know him! Plus, she was not that kind of woman!

She had just made a complete fool of herself. At least, she knew she would not be seeing him again, and that was a rather comforting thought. Taking a deep breath, Kailani flicked some of her chocolate brown curls over her shoulder, and returned to the receptionist. Once she got there, her face broke into a huge smile when she saw who was there.

"You guys aren't trying to drive Olina crazy, are you?" she asked, and two pairs of brown eyes turned to her immediately. Happy shouts echoed throughout the reception area as two nine year old rushed to Kailani, wrapping their little arms around her legs.

"Aunt Kali!" the two girls called out, a little too enthusiastic, and Kailani suspiciously glanced sideways at Olina. The older woman, sensing the gaze, tried to look as innocent as possible.

"You gave them sugar, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Olina responded, and Kailani narrowed her eyes at that. Approaching the counter, she looked over it, and noticed a familiar paper bag on the dustbin. Without saying anything, she gazed at Olina again, who chuckled, "Fine, guilty!"

"Great, now I'm the one who has to deal with two girls suffering of sugar rush. And to think I actually accompanied those two men because you asked me to." Kailani shook her head, "I won't do anything you ask me to do ever again."

"As if you didn't like accompanying those two fine gentlemen to the waiting room," Olina observed, and despite the situation Kailani felt her cheeks getting warm. In an attempt to ignore that comment, she turned to the two little girls, who were watching her with wide smiles.

They looked good. In spite of everything they had gone through, they looked great. Sango, the oldest, had a blue cast all over her left arm, and Sora, the youngest, was getting used to her bright pink crutches.

"Okay, since you've already had your sweet moment, I assume you'd enjoy staying here while I go talk to Dr. Dallas?" Kailani asked, and the two girls gazed at each other. "And don't start talking telepathically. I'm only letting you two stay here if you promise to behave, and do everything Olina tells you to do."

"We promise." both girls chorused, and as if they wanted to reassure her, both of them smiled widely at her. Turning to the receptionist, Kailani was about to ask for forgiveness when Olina raised a hand in the air.

"Don't worry. I'll watch over these two." she said, and Kailani smiled at that.

"_Mahalo_, Olina, I'll try not to take too long." she said before turning to the twins, and kiss them on their foreheads. Then, she turned around, and unconsciously looked in direction of the hospital's front doors. A frown appeared on her face when she saw three men standing there, all of them wearing sunglasses and suits.

Almost as if sensing her eyes on them, the three men shared a look, and walked outside, disappearing from sight. Shrugging it off, Kailani made her way towards Dr. Dallas' office, anxious to ask if she would indeed be able to take the two girls home soon.

* * *

"You know, I really hate you right now." Danny Williams said as he walked out of the room, after having the wound on top of his left eyebrow stitched up. "You seriously need to find some other way to release that stamina of yours because sooner or later it's going to get me killed."

"Don't you mean it will get _me_ killed?" Steve inquired as he followed his friend, his left arm wrapped up in bandages down to his hand.

"No, trust me, after everything I've seen, I'm definitely the future victim." Danny retorted, raising both his hands in the air. "Do I need to remind you what happened during our first mission? I can still feel the pain of that shot, you know?"

"You need to let it go, Danno." Steve responded as he looked ahead, and Danny shook his head.

"How can I let it go when you persistently ignore all safety rules, and keep throwing me into dangerous situations?" he asked, "Seriously, I don't even know why I bother. I keep wasting my time telling you what you should do for my sake, and you never listen."

"Your life would be boring without all that fun, Danno. Just think about it." Steve answered, and Danny stared at him for a moment before he snorted.

"Fun, of course you'd call almost getting killed fun. I don't even know why I still get surprised with you." he said as they approached the reception area. "You'll continue to think you're Iron Man, and I'll have to keep on cleaning your mess."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Steve replied with an indifferent attitude, and Danny rolled his eyes. He had been just about to respond when his eyes fell upon the two little girls sitting on the other side of the reception's desk, both of them drawing. "Whoa, what's this?"

"Oh no, you don't." Olina said all of a sudden, as she turned around from behind the two girls, holding various charts in her hands. "You stay away from these two. I don't want your tendency for trouble to rub on them. They are troubling enough."

"Oh, really?" Danny asked as he rested an arm on the counter before turning to Steve. "See? People are beginning to think we're a bad influence. That shouldn't happen, and it wouldn't happen if you started listening to me."

"To think we were finally having a quiet moment..." Steve mumbled, but Olina still heard him, and smiled at that. Feeling her gaze on him, the Lieutenant Commander turned to her, "Your granddaughters?"

"No, but they certainly feel like it." Olina responded as she rested her hands on the girls' shoulders, causing them to look up. Danny raised both his eyebrows when he saw how alike they were while Steve acted like it did not bother him at all...which probably did not. "Girls, these are two good friends of mine; Steve and Danny."

"Hello!" both of them chorused, and Olina ruffled their long black tresses.

"These are Sango and Sora. They are nieces of the woman who walked you to the waiting room." she introduced the two girls as they started drawing again. Unconsciously, the two men observed their injuries, and Olina felt the need to explain. "They were in an accident, but both are fine, and will soon go home."

"That's good to know." Danny replied, a relieved smile on his face. Then, he gazed at the two girls. "Hey, how old are you?"

"Nine." Sango answered without looking up from her drawing, the fact she could not use her left arm bothering her to some extent. Sora, on the other hand, glanced upwards for a second.

"Really? I have a daughter who's nine too. Her name is Grace." Danny said, and this time both girls glanced at him.

"Oh no, don't you even start." Steve warned him, and when Danny turned to him, confused by the interruption, the Lieutenant Commander continued. "When you start talking about Gracie, there's no stopping you, and we really need to get going."

"Boss!" a voice called out all of a sudden and the two men looked behind them. Coming their way were both Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua. "How are you?"

"We're fine. We were just about to go back to the headquarters." Steve told them as he looked to the two cousins. Then, he turned to Olina and the two little girls. "Thanks for everything. I'll see you later."

"Hopefully with no blood and no wound to dress." Olina immediately responded, and Steve smiled at that. When he turned to his co-workers, however, the smile was gone. Danny, on the other hand, turned to the two little girls again.

"Take care, girls." was all he said before he looked at Olina. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Just try to behave less like an old married couple, alright?" Olina asked, and while Kono raised a hand to her lips to conceal her smile, Chin smiled broadly at that.

"Sango, Sora." Kailani called out as she approached the reception area as well, but she stopped when she noticed who was there. "Oh, you've been taken care of, I see."

"Thank you for your unrequited assistance." Steve thanked her, and Kailani smiled at him.

"Any time, Spartan."

"I've told you, my name's n—"

"Oh, c'mon, let's just go." Danny interrupted Steve by stepping in the middle of the two of them. Smiling, he turned to Kailani, and clasped his hands together. "Thank you for your help. You have lovely nieces, and I hope everything goes well with all of you." then, turning to Steve, he dropped his hands. "Let's go, you owe me a beer."

"No way, you're the one paying." Steve retorted as he started walking away, and Danny went after him in a heartbeat. Noticing it was time to go, Chin nodded in Kailani's direction before going after his partners.

"Have a nice day." Kono said, and Kailani smiled at her.

"You too." was all she said, and she watched as the strange group left the hospital. Turning to Olina, she noticed the look on the receptionist's face, and rolled her eyes. "Don't say anything."

"So, who was the woman?" Chin asked as they walked towards Steve's truck and Kono's car. Without even glancing at each other, both Danny and Steve turned to him, and spoke at same time.

"Don't ask."

"Who's Spartan?" Kono inquired as she unlocked her car, and Steve had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. He had been about to respond, when Danny did it for him.

"Apparently that's Steve's new nickname." he elucidated, and when Kono looked strangely at him, he shrugged. "Don't ask."

"You know, it's your fault." Steve observed as he opened his truck's door, and Danny stared at him.

"How come it's my fault?" he asked as he also opened the door on the passenger's side. "Are you going to tell me that almost falling off the cliff was also my fault?"

"Now that you mention it..." Steve trailed of when he was about to get behind the wheel, but he stopped for half a second when his eyes fell upon a strange figure. Standing close to a silver car, wearing a black suit and sunglasses, was a very strange man.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Steve sat down on his seat, and observed as the strange man entered inside the car, and started the engine. Glancing through his rear-view mirror all he saw was the hospital.

"So, are we going or what?" Danny asked all of a sudden, and Steve turned to him. Without bothering to reply, he started the engine, and manoeuvred the truck out of the parking lot. Then, in order to shut Danny up since he was still talking about his supposedly near-death experience, Steve turned the radio on.

A smile appeared on his face when Danny groaned at the country music that came out from it.

**To Be Continued...**

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**Authoress Note:** Hello again! I promise this will be quick; I just want to ask what you thought of this first chapter. Thank you for the attention"


	2. Hoa Paio

**Disclaimer:** I only own the Original Characters and the plot.

**Authoress Note: **I want to thank _**Unreal Wanderers**_ for her constant support. For those who have read the first chapter, I can only hope you will continue to enjoy A hui hou kakou. Thank you.

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**Chapter II**

_Hoa paio_

A gun was staring back at her. It was so close she could almost see the bullet through gun barrel. She honestly did not know how things had come to that. And to think the day had started as any other day; she had gotten up, gone to the gym before work... Everything had been going great, and she had inclusively met a new member of her team, named Ben Bass, an advocate for ecology.

However, everything went downhill when she decided to stop by a shop, after work, to buy some things for her nieces. It was a bookshop cafe, known for its delicious cakes. Kailani had known that buying sweets for her nieces was probably a bad idea. However she had never expected for it to become such a big mistake.

They had entered inside the bookshop cafe, guns in hand, masks covering their faces. They had immediately approached the cashier. A young boy had been standing not too far from her, oblivious of what was going on around him since he had headphones blasting music into his ears. Without thinking, she had approached him, ready to pull him down, when she realized her mistake.

One of the assailants spotted her when she reached out for the boy's arm, and went to their side. He put the gun right in front of her face, causing her to freeze while the boy tripped over his own feet in both horror and surprise and fell onto the floor.

"Sit down." the man ordered, his eyes being the only thing she could see through the mask. Swallowing hard, she did what she was told, and sat down, next to the shivering boy. He could not be over thirteen years old. "Stay quiet, and don't move or I'll blow your brains out."

Seconds became minutes, and minutes became hours. Time started flowing slower for Kailani as she heard the assailants talk to each others. Suddenly there was a cry, and Kailani felt her heart stop beating when a shot echoed throughout the bookshop cafe. The boy next to her automatically shifted closer to her, his hand finding her arm, and she turned to him. His face was pale, and Kailani knew her expression was not all that different from his.

"What the hell did you do?"

"He went for the alarm!"

"You stupid bastard! The cops are probably on their way as we speak! Hurry!"

Sirens could be heard from afar, and Kailani almost jumped backwards when she felt something cold and hard touch the side of her skull. Her hands grew sweaty, her whole body shaking in fright.

"We should kill them!" the assailant holding the gun to her head said, and she swallowed hard again. Glancing sideways at the boy next to her, she noticed that he was sweating and shaking really hard.

"Please...let the boy go." she managed to say, and she closed her eyes in pain when the assailant pushed the gun harder against her head. Then, before she could think of anything to say, she felt a strong hand on her arm, pushing her up.

"I have a better idea. You're going to be our hostage." the same man said into her ear before he turned to his colleagues. "C'mon, let's go! The cops will be here in a few minutes!"

Pushing her forward, causing her to stumble to the side, Kailani followed the assailants out of the bookshop cafe. People screamed around her, but she paid little attention to her surroundings as she was literally thrown inside a van. The sirens were getting closer, but everything became a blur when the van suddenly speed up, causing her to hit her head on the window.

"Damn it, they're all over the place!"

Groaning, Kailani looked outside through the tinted window. A large blue truck appeared next to hers, the blue and red lights flashing out at the front. Unfortunately, she was far too frightened to truly understand what was happening. She could hear her captives talking as the one driving tried to avoid all obstacles that appeared in front of them.

Kailani found herself thinking about her nieces. With both their parents gone, she could not let them lose another relative. She had to do something, but unfortunately there were three of them, and the fighting skills she knew would not help her in such situation.

Still, she could not stay quiet. Maybe she could try to reach out for the gun the man next to her was holding. They were far too preoccupied with trying to escape the police to even pay attention to her. The only thing holding her back was the fact she could very well get shot and die. If that happened, then Sango and Sora would be left in a very complicated situation, and she could not let that happen.

Biting her lower lip, Kailani looked through the window again. She could still see the blue truck tailing them. Maybe they knew she was there, and perhaps that explained why they had not started firing yet.

With thoughts running at full speed through her mind, Kailani turned to the man next to her. She had to help them. She needed to do something. The only question left was; what?

However, before Kailani could think of something, she heard a loud bang, and suddenly the van was out of control. Kailani felt her whole body being thrown to the side of the van, her body turning a somersault in midair before everything went black.

* * *

Steve McGarrett and the rest of his team had been on their way to Kamekona's when they heard about an assault to a bookshop cafe. Being rather close to the address, Steve turned right, and pressed on the gas. It took them less than two minutes to get there, but when they did they saw the three assailants get inside a white van.

They found out about the hostage through the radio.

Kono and Chin immediately jumped out off the truck, to go help at the scene, guns draw. However, due to the presence of a hostage, no guns were fired. As the white van started to move at full speed, Steve wasted no time in following it.

"So, what now?" Danny asked as Steve drove at full speed. "You cannot possibly be thinking about slamming your truck into theirs, are you?"

"Don't give me any ideas, especially if you know you won't like them." Steve warned him, eyes narrowed, and Danny shook his head.

"Fine, but we can't possibly keep on following them around without doing anything else." he said, and Steve increased his grip on the wheel.

"The HPD's already closing all roads. They have nowhere to go. Hopefully, they'll understand that, and give up before they cause any more trouble."

"You're saying that because you want them to stop so you can beat the crap out of them." Danny pointed out as he grasped the arm of the door with both hands when Steve did a sharp turn. "What's with all the anger, man? Haven't talked to Catherine lately?"

"Now it's not the time, Danny." Steve responded, and Danny bit the interior of his cheek when his friend sped up even more. Moving closer to the van, both of them tried to see who was inside, but it was impossible with the tinted windows. "Give me your gun."

"Excuse me? Are you planning to start shooting while driving? Are you crazy? What if you hit the hostage?" Danny asked, and Steve let out a deep breath before he reached out for his own gun.

"Fine, don't give me your gun, but at least take the wheel." he said as he lowered his window, and Danny widened his eyes at that order.

"Take the wheel? What do you mean take the—_Whoa!_" jumping forward, Danny put both his hands on the wheel while Steve stuck half of his body through the window. "Just to let you know, this is a very bad idea!"

With an impressive precision for a man who had half of his body out of a speeding truck, Steve pointed his gun at the van in front of him. Closing one of his eyes, he held his breath, and fired. The back tire blew up, causing the driver to lose control. Steve was vaguely aware of Danny cursing as he sat down on his seat again, still holding his gun.

"It's out of control!" Danny exclaimed, pointing out the obvious, "It's gonna flip!"

Hitting the break, Steve forced his truck to stop in the middle of the road. Opening the door at same time the van fell to its side, Steve jumped to the ground, gun draw, and ready to start shooting. Danny went after him, also with his gun out. A few police cars stopped behind them.

"Let's go, Danny!" Steve ordered as he started running. In a matter of seconds he already had the passenger's door open, his gun pointed at the stunned assailants. Danny, on the other hand, rushed to the van's trunk, and opened the doors.

A bullet zoomed past his ear, and Danny wasted no time in firing back. Hitting the assailant on the shoulder, Danny went to the hostage's side. Since the van had fallen to its side, she was lying on her side, unconscious.

"Danny!" Steve's voice was heard, and he appeared by the open doors in seconds. When he saw that the assailant groaning on one side and that Danny was kneeling on the other, Steve wasted no time in going to his friend's side. Pressing two fingers against the woman's neck, he waited for a few seconds before turning to Danny. "She's just unconscious."

"_Just_ unconscious?" Danny repeated, upset by his partner's reaction. As usual, Steve ignored his retort, and called out for the paramedics. "You could've gotten her killed, you Neanderthal!"

"Relax, she's fine." Steve told him as he stood up. As he did so, however, he found himself staring at the woman's face, and tilted his head to the side. "Wait a minute. She looks familiar..."

"She does?" Danny asked, as he also stared at the woman. Standing up, they gave room for the paramedics to reach out for her. Studying her face more carefully, Danny widened his eyes in recognition, "Spartan!"

Steve had been just about to say something when his cell-phone started ringing. Turning to Danny he said, _Book_ _'em, Danno_, and answered the call. The news that Chin told him moments later left him bewildered.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, forcing Danny to look up at him as he handcuffed the assailant. "Alright, listen, Danny will go there. I'll go with the woman to the hospital. She's unconscious, but I want to be around when she wakes up. Hopefully, she'll be able to give us a full statement."

"So, what's wrong?"Danny asked as he handed the assailant to two other police officers, who had approached them, and Steve put the cell-phone away.

"Chin said something doesn't add up. Apparently, they shot the cashier on the shoulder, but they didn't even try to get the money." Steve quickly explained, and Danny raised an eyebrow at that. "And they didn't take anything from the store either."

"Well, that doesn't make sense." he observed, and Steve nodded.

"That's why you'll meet with Kono and Chin. Just take a good look at the shop, and then go back to the HDQ. Meanwhile, I'll go with the paramedics. I'll ask her about the assault, and see if everything matches."

"Alright, I'll call as soon as we know something." Danny told him, and once again Steve nodded before he rushed out of the van. When he reached the ambulance, he jumped inside, his eyes falling on the figure lying on the stretcher. A pair of weary hazel eyes looked back at him, but he turned to the paramedics.

"How is she?"

"Hit her head, possibly has a concussion." one of the paramedics answered him, and Steve nodded at that before he turned to the woman. He heard the doors of the ambulance being closed, but ignored it as he rested his elbows on his legs.

"What's your name?"

"Kailani..." she whispered through the oxygen mask. When he noticed she was trying to reach out for it, Steve grasped her hand with his, stopping her. "Kailani Makaio... Please, don't take me to the hospital..."

"You know that's not possible; you hit your head pretty hard, and you probably have a concussion. You need to go to the hospital straight away." he told her without breaking the eye-contact. "I also need you to tell me what happened back at the bookshop cafe."

"The girls..." Kailani continued, as if she had not heard a word Steve had just said. "If I go to the hospital, they'll see me... They can't see me... Not like this..."

"The girls?" Steve repeated, and a memory of twin girls appeared before his eyes. Danny's voice also echoed in his ears. Spartan...of course! Shifting closer to the stretcher, Steve increased his grip on the woman's hand without ever looking away from her eyes. "I promise they won't see you like this. I'll ask a friend to call the hospital, and make sure they are not around when we get there."

Taking his right hand away, Steve reached out for the cell-phone, and called Chin. Hastily, he informed his friend about what was going on. Moments later, the call ended, and Steve put the cell-phone away.

"It's done." he told Kailani, who continued to observe his every move. "The girls won't be there when we arrive. Now, I really need you to help me understand what happened. What happened since you got into the store?"

Suddenly, there was a loud _beep_, and Steve moved backwards when the paramedic hovered over him. He knew that sound; tachycardia. Releasing Kailani's hand, he tried to move backwards.

Answers would have to wait.

"So, what makes you think there's more into it than a simple robbery gone wrong?" Kono asked as Chin approached her, cell-phone in hand. "Is the boss coming back or is he going to the hospital to get a statement from the victim?"

"He's on the ambulance with the victim." Chin answered her with a short nod, "Also, this whole situation makes no sense. They shot the employee because he activated the alarm, but they aimed for the shoulder. There was a boy there as well, and they could have used him and the victim to have more hostages. Still, they decided to get away, and take only one hostage with them."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it's weird they took a hostage when they could've just ran away." Kono said a frown on her face. "In fact, if they hadn't taken her, they probably would have escaped, but they still decided to risk it. Do you think that was premeditated?"

"I don't know. I'm waiting for Steve to gives us the ID of the woman that was taken in order to investigate her." Chin told her as he looked down at his cell-phone before putting it on his back pocket. "The three assailants were arrested though, so I'm not sure until how far this investigation's supposed to go."

"I guess we'll have to wait for the boss to know what to do next." Kono replied, and Chin nodded at that.

"Hey!" a voice called out, and the two cousins looked behind them only to see Danny rushing towards them. "So, have you found anything?"

"Well, Chin has a theory that could definitely explain some things that are missing." Kono replied, and Chin took the chance to tell Danny what he had shared with his cousin. Danny listened until the end before he let out a deep breath.

"Crap, that actually makes sense."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chin inquired as he raised an eyebrow, and Danny waved a hand in the air.

"I think he's still shaken up by the boss' driving skills." Kono teased with a small smile, and Danny pointed a finger at her.

"You say that because you weren't there." he replied in his defence. "Trust me that man is going to be the end of me. Sometimes I wonder why I put up with him. I mean, this is my life we're talking about."

"Oh, you know you can't survive without him, Danny." Chin responded, and the blond haired man rolled his eyes.

"Can't survive without him, but can't live with him either, right?" he asked, but when no one answered, he shook his head, "Never mind. Anyway, I think we should go to the hospital, and tell Steve all about your theory. He's probably already there. Do you have everything we need?"

"Yep, I have everything with me." Kono responded with a nod, and Danny nodded at that.

"Great, let's get going then." he said.

Nodding, Kono went after him while Chin gazed around the area one last time. He had been just about to turn around when his eyes fell upon a silver car. Despite the distance, he managed to see the driver; a man with sunglasses. However, before Chin could do anything else, the man drove away, disappearing from sight.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Q.: **What does _mahalo_ mean?

**A.:** It means _thank you._

As for today's chapter _h__oa paio_ means _foe; enemy_.


	3. O wai kou inoa?

**Disclaimer:** I only own the Original Characters and the plot.  
**Authoress Note: **I want to thank _**Unreal Wanderers**_**, ****__****francis2**** and ****__****Guest**** for your support**. For those who have read the previous chapter, I can only hope you will continue to enjoy A hui hou kakou. Thank you.

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to Unreal Wanderers.

* * *

**Chapter III**

`O wai kou inoa?

"Hey Spartan…"

The female voice that echoed throughout the empty room made Steve look directly at the bed as he walked through the door. Kailani Makaio was sitting on the mattress, a fresh bandage covering the right side of her forehead. Other than that particular dressing, and a few bruises, there was no other physical indication of what she had gone through not that long ago.

"I've told you before. My name is not Spartan." Steve retorted, and a white smile appeared on Kailani's face as he stopped next to her. "Also, let me tell you Olina almost tore my head off when she saw you on the stretcher. She inclusively told me she'd rather see me on that stretcher than you."

"She did not." Kailani promptly replied, throwing him a knowing look. "Olina cares too much for you to tell you something like that. I believe she may have freaked out when she saw me, but she'd never tell you that sort of thing."

"Fine, fine, you got me." Steve confessed, the corner of his lips curling upwards into a smirk that was replaced by a serious scowl seconds later. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great; ready to go, actually. The doctor's the one who wanted to run a few more tests, but I'm fine as you can see." Kailani answered him with a grateful smile. "Thank you for asking. Did you manage to catch the assailants?"

"Yes, they've all been caught." Steve answered, and Kailani nodded at that. Leaning her back against the pillow behind her, she gazed at the ceiling for a moment before suddenly widening her eyes.

"What about the boy?" she asked, straightening up again. At the look on Steve's face, she added, "The boy that was at the bookshop café with me. He was really shaken up because he was listening to music, and didn't see the assailants coming in."

"Yes, he's fine. You don't have to worry about him." Steve reassured her with a short nod, and Kailani closed her eyes as she let out a sigh of relief. "Still, there are some things I need to ask you if you don't mind."

"Okay…"

"Can you tell me what happened from the beginning?" Steve asked, and Kailani bit her lower lip at the question. "Take all the time you need."

Kailani nodded at that before closing her eyes. Her eyebrows twitched as she recalled what had occurred during the morning. Ignoring everything she had done before making her way to the bookshop café, Kailani licked her lips.

"I was looking at the pastries because I wanted to buy something for my nieces." she began, still without opening her eyes. Steve nodded at that even though she could not see it. "The boy was next to me, listening to music. That was when they walked inside. The boy didn't notice them, so I tried to reach out for him. That was a mistake."

"That's when they spotted you?" Steve inquired, and Kailani faintly nodded.

"One of the assailants pointed his gun at me, and that's when the boy finally saw them. He told us to sit down, and stay quiet or he'd kill us." she proceeded. "I don't know how much time passed until I heard a gunshot."

At that memory, Kailani's eyelids flew open, and she saw that Steve was staring intently at her. As if reading her mind, Steve spoke up.

"The employee was shot in the shoulder when he activated the alarm. Don't worry, he's fine. What happened next?"

"They started talking." Kailani answered, this time keeping her eyes open. "That's when the assailant next to me said they should kill us, and I asked him to let the boy go. I don't know if he heard me, but he grabbed my arm, and told his...companions that I'd be their hostage. That's when we left the shop, and...Well, you know the rest."

"Did anything look out of the ordinary?" Steve inquired, and Kailani shook her head.

"No, I mean, everything was fine until they walked inside." she said before dropping her gaze for a second. "I'm sorry. I don't know if any of this helped you."

"Don't worry about it, this was more than enough." Steve comforted her. "Also, you don't have to worry about your nieces. They don't know you're here. Olina helped us by keeping them occupied. I think she took them for a snack at the cafeteria."

"Oh great..." Kailani groaned at that. "Knowing Olina as I do, she's probably giving all sort of sugar to those two. Lucky me..."

"I noticed their injuries last time we were here." Steve said after a short moment of silence. "What happened?"

"Oh, there was an accident while we were living on the mainland with my parents." Kailani told him. "Sango broke her arm when she tried to protect Sora from the hit. My mother had taken them out for a stroll. Apparently the driver didn't stop at a red light."

"That's when you decided to bring them to Hawaii?" Steve inquired, and Kailani nodded.

"Yes, you see, I'm their aunt but I'm also their godmother. My brother asked me to take care of them if something happened to him or his wife, and I promised him I would." she explained to him. "The accident...well, it just made me surer that I had to bring them with me."

"May I ask you what happened to your brother?"

"I'm sorry..." Kailani paused for a moment, biting her lower lip as she did so. "Is this of any relevance to what happened at the bookshop cafe or...?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Steve apologized, and Kailani smiled at him.

"That's quite alright, Spartan." she told him, and the Navy SEAL was about to finally let her know his name, when someone knocked on the door. Looking behind him, Steve saw Kono walking inside.

"Hey boss." Kono greeted him before she smiled at Kailani, who smiled back at her. "I came here to pick you up. Danny and Chin would've come in too, but two girls stopped them by the reception."

"I assume you're referring to Malia and someone else…" Steve commented, and Kono shook her head, her smile widening.

"No boss, I mean two little girls." she told him, "Twins actually."

"Oh no…" Kailani muttered before she looked from Kono to Steve. "I'm really sorry. I should just go and get them."

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Steve said as he raised a hand, stopping Kailani from getting out off the bed. "We're on our way out anyway, and I assume the girls are helping Olina at the reception area. However, I'll leave my card with you in case you remember something else."

Handing her a card he took from the pocket of his shirt, Kailani looked down at it. His name was the first thing she saw before noticing his rank. Before she could say something about it, though, Steve beat her to it.

"And my name's Steve McGarrett."

"I still think Spartan suits you better." Kailani retorted, and once again Steve smirked at that before he turned to Kono, and motioned her to go ahead. Glancing one last time over his shoulder, at the woman lying on the bed, Steve smiled before walking away.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Kono asked as they walked down the hallway. "The assailants are in jail, and the woman is fine. Case closed, right?"

"I'm not so sure about that." Steve responded, and Kono gave him a confused look. "Listen, there's something fishy going on. I don't know what, but there's something about that robbery…"

"Do you want me to check the whole thing again?" Kono offered, and Steve nodded.

"Yeah, check all the photos, all the reports…something's off, and I want to know what."

"I'm onto it, boss, don't worry." Kono reassured him as they stepped into the reception area only to see both Danny and Chin still talking to the two little girls. "By the way, are those that woman's daughters?"

"Nieces." was all Steve said as he stepped next to Danny, and watched his friend giving a high five to each girl. "You really have a way with kids."

"As opposite to you, you mean." was Danny's only response without looking away from Sango and Sora. "Now girls, go see Olina. She's giving me the evil eye."

Both Sango and Sora giggled at the look on his face before they nodded.

"Bye Uncle Danny! Bye Uncle Chin!"

"Do I even want to know?" Steve asked as he looked at his two friends, who shared a glance before smiling at him. "What?"

"Bye Aunt Kono! Bye Uncle Spartan!"

"Danny!"

* * *

"So, when are you coming back?" Steve asked over the phone as he took a beer from the fridge, and a smile appeared on his face. "Just asking because there's a dinner waiting for a rain check, remember?"

Closing the door of the fridge, Steve made his way towards the living room, and sat down on the couch. Laughing at what Catherine responded, he leaned against the back of the couch, and took a long sip of his cold drink.

"When you come back, I'll let you know what _I_ have planned for us." Steve teased her, but a _beep_ against his ear made him gaze at his cell-phone's screen. Making a face, he pressed the phone against his ear. "I'm sorry, Cat, but I have to go now. Yeah, I'll call you later. Bye."

With a sigh, Steve looked at the beer he was still holding, and went to the kitchen to put it on top of the counter. Then, he left the house, but not before calling Danny, and putting it on speaker.

"_You called to say you're finally going to see a therapist?"_ Danny asked as soon as he accepted the call, and Steve shook his head.

"Tell me what you've found."

"_What? Aren't you coming here? Why do you need me to update you over the phone when you're coming here?"_

"Do I have to call Chin?" Steve half-threatened, starting the engine after sitting on the driver's seat of his truck, and he heard Danny sigh.

"_Fine, we've checked all photos and the reports related to the robbery. Kono actually found something weird; in every photo that was taken of the exterior, a silver car pops up. It's in a rather concealed place, but Chin remembers seeing it before we came back."_

"A silver car?" Steve repeated, frowning as he pondered about those words. "Chin saw it at the crime scene?"

"_Well, yeah. He didn't pay attention to it at the time, because he thought it was just a snooping bystander, but he remembered the man that was driving. He said he had sunglasses, but that doesn't make him suspicious. More than half of the people in Hawaii wear sunglasses on a daily basis."_

"Sunglasses…" Steve repeated as he drove, and he tried to recall why such thing sounded familiar. Then, he remembered. When he had left the hospital, when they had met Kailani for the first time, there had been a silver car on the parking-lot. And a man on a black suit and sunglasses had been standing right next to it.

"_Hey, you listening to me?" _

"Danny, can you see the plate of that car in any of those pictures?" Steve asked, and his partner answered with a firm _no_. "I'm pretty sure I've seen that car before."

"_What? You're a mind reader now? How can you possibly know what kind of car I'm talking about?" _

"Listen, I'm going to make a quick stop at the hospital. I'll call you later."

"_What? Wait, don't you dare—"_

"Bye Danno." was all Steve said, ending the call. Without even blinking, he did a U-turn, and made his way to the hospital. The silver car did not leave his mind. He knew his instinct had been correct; something was definitely wrong. First the robbery that made no sense, and now there was that silver car…

Glancing down at his phone, Steve called Kono.

"_Yes boss?"_

"Listen, I need you to check on someone for me," he said, going straight to business as he kept both hands on the wheel. "Her name is Kailani Makaio; she's the one that was taken during the robbery. Look for a full background. I'll return to the HDQ as soon as I'm done with something."

"_Got it."_

Reaching the hospital's parking lot, Steve parked the truck, but stayed inside. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he scanned the area. Various cars were there, but thankfully he remembered the silver car. That was why when he finally spotted it, on the furthest side of the parking lot, Steve wasted no time in getting out of the truck.

Looking around, Steve made his way towards the silver car. When he reached it, he noticed no one was inside. Quickly, he wrote down the plate before turning around so that he was facing the hospital's main entrance, hands on his hips.

Something was going on, and he ought to figure out what.

That was when he spotted her. Kailani was just leaving the hospital, the twins on her side. All of them laughing as they walked through the doors, and he let out a deep breath. He remembered what she had told him on the day before, about her brother.

That's when he saw them; three men, wearing black suits, all of them with sunglasses covering their faces. They were making their way towards the main doors of the hospital, where Kailani was standing with the girls. Without thinking twice about his actions, Steve started running in direction of the hospital.

Taking his gun out, he stared running at same time Kailani glanced to her side, in direction of the three men. Even from a distance, Steve could see her tensing up as she unconsciously rested her hands on the girls' shoulders. The three men were getting closer when Steve decided to call out for her.

"Hey! Kailani!"

Immediately, the woman turned her head to look at him. The expression of relief that crossed her face did not go unnoticed. The fact the three men had stopped walking as soon as Steve had appeared did not go unobserved either, and Steve looked at them. As soon as his eyes fell upon the three of them, the group turned around, and walked away.

"You okay?" Steve asked as he turned to Kailani, who nodded in response. "Who're those men?"

"Hello Uncle Spartan!" Sango greeted him with a wide smile while Sora giggled, and Steve looked down at the two girls. Glancing at Kailani, who mouthed an apology, he bent down on his knees, but not before he put his gun away.

"My name's Steve." he told them, "You can call me Uncle Steve if you want, though."

"But Uncle Danny said we could call you Uncle Spartan." Sango tried to defend his new nickname, and Steve inwardly decided he would torture his partner next time he saw Danny. "He said you're a super hero!"

"Sango…" Kailani started, but it was right on that moment that Steve smiled widely at the two girls before ruffling their hairs, causing them to shriek in surprise.

"If I'm a super hero, then we have to keep my identity a secret. Just call me Uncle Steve, alright?" he asked, and the two girls giggled as he continued messing their long tresses. After a few seconds, he stood up again. Then, he turned to Kailani. "Do you have your car?"

"No, I was going to call for a taxi." Kailani answered him, and Steve shook his head at that.

"Follow me, then." he said, motioning for them to follow him with a hand, but Kailani did not move from her spot. When he saw the look on her face, Steve immediately knew what she was thinking about. "Listen, I need to talk to you, but I can't do it with the girls around. Come with me. I'll take you to Five-0 headquarters."

"I can't leave my nieces alone." Kailani tried to say, but Steve moved closer to her.

"My friends will watch over them." he reassured her, "Now, c'mon. We're being watched, so we really need to get going."

"We're being watched?" Kailani repeated in a whisper, but before she could look around, Steve rested a hand on her shoulder. Turning to him, their eyes locked, and she swallowed hard.

"Yeah, and until I know who, I need you to come with me to our HDQ." Steve told her with a small nod, and Kailani licked her lips in nervousness before nodding. "Great. Now, c'mon; follow me."

"Aunt Kali?" Sora's small voice caught the two girls' attention, and Kailani immediately turned to her, kneeling as she did so. "Are we going home?"

"Actually, I was thinking about showing you the place where I work." Steve answered her before Kailani could say anything, and then he winked at the two little girls. "What do you girls say?"

"I want to go!" Sango exclaimed, smiling widely as she did so, and Kailani smiled faintly at her niece's reaction.

"Great, follow me then." Steve told her, and even though Sango immediately started walking, Sora took more time due to the crutches. As the twins walked in front of them, Kailani glanced at Steve, who met her gaze when he felt her eyes on him.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" she asked, and Steve looked around the parking lot. The silver car was no longer there.

"I hope not, but if there is," Steve started as he focused his attention on Kailani again, "you don't have to worry. I'll protect you."

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Note: **`O wai kou inoa? means _What is your name?_


	4. Paakiki

**Disclaimer:** I only own the Original Characters and the plot.  
**Authoress Note: **I want to thank **francis2 **and_**Unreal Wanderers**_for your support. I am really happy to know you are enjoying the story, and I will do my best not to disappoint you. _Mahalo_.

* * *

**Chapter IV**

Pa`akiki

"Why is it so important for you to know my family history?" Kailani inquired as she sat down on the armchair in front of Steve's desk. The Navy SEAL was leaning against the desk, arms crossed against his chest, as he continued staring at her.

Sango and Sora were currently under the attentive watch of Danny since both Kono and Chin were busy taking care of other things. Thankfully, the little girls had seemed more than happy when Danny had presented them with enough paper to draw everything they wanted. Not even the fact there were no coloring pencils seemed to matter to them.

"Because I need to know who those men are," Steve told her, matter-of-factly. "You've told me you have no idea who they are, but they were obviously about to approach you when I arrived. That means there's something you did that caught their attention. Either that or this whole thing is related to your brother."

"That's impossible." Kailani told him, and she promptly stood up from the armchair. "I don't understand why you're so interested in my past. Why don't you investigate my background, and figure it out yourself?"

There was a moment of silence, and Kailani chuckled as she dropped her head.

"You're already doing that, aren't you?"

"I want you to tell me first, though." Steve admitted, and Kailani looked at the ceiling for a moment. Breathing deeply, she walked around the office for a moment before coming to a stop next to the armchair.

"Ok, long story made short. My brother, Kai, was a marine. He was killed in an ambush, in Iraq, eight years ago." Kailani began, without looking away from Steve. Gluing her lips together for a second, she proceeded. "His wife, Mizuki, was a medical corps officer. She was killed in a surprise attack, when she was at an orphanage. Sango and Sora were three years old."

"I'm sorry…" Steve apologized, and Kailani had to look up again as tears started burning the side of her eyes. Resting her hands in front of her face, she took a deep breath before nodding. "That's when you decided to watch over them?"

"Yeah, my parents...well; my father is a rather complicated man. I think being a Special Agent caused him to be too hard on us – my brother and me – to the point where we had to learn all sort of martial arts. He inclusively wanted me to follow his footsteps, but my mother didn't allow it, and I didn't want to do it either. So, I didn't want to risk him manipulating his granddaughters as well. My mother wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but she understood."

"Your father's a Special Agent?" Steve repeated, and Kailani nodded. "What's his name?"

"Eric Makaio." Kailani responded, "My mother's name is Kekoa."

"What about your sister-in-law's parents?" Steve inquired as he dropped his arms, resting his hands on the desk. "Didn't they oppose to your decision of bringing their granddaughters to Hawaii?"

"Mizuki's mother passed away a couple of years ago." Kailani told him, "I never knew Mizuki's father. I don't know what happened to him, but Mizuki never said anything about him."

"So, he might still be alive." Steve observed, looking at her in the eye. "Now, tell me something; what about those men at the hospital? Were they familiar to you? I noticed you tensed up when you saw them going your way."

"Well, I have seen them before." Kailani started with a small nod, arms folded against her chest. "A couple of times, I think, always at the hospital. I never paid much attention to them because I thought they could be visiting someone."

"And they never tried to approach you before?"

"No, not really," Kailani answered as she shook her head. "I always saw them by the reception area. Maybe Olina knows something, but I really don't know anything else."

"Well, don't worry; we're going to check them out. The hospital's cameras must have caught them at some point." Steve comforted her, "However, we need you to stay somewhere safe. We can't take any risks until we know what's going on. Do you have any place to stay in?"

"I have my house…"

"No, you need to be somewhere you won't be alone." Steve told her, shaking his head. "Being alone at your place isn't ideal. It'll be better if you go someplace where people are always around. Don't you know anyone who can help you?"

"Ah, well…I could talk to a co-worker of mine; he lives in a beach community. There are a lot of people living there." Kailani commented after thinking for a few seconds. "His name is Ben Bass, in case you need to know."

"What did you just say?" Steve asked as he frowned, and Kailani repeated his name again. Suddenly, Steve straightened up, and walked out of the office. Making his way towards his friends, he rested his hands on his hips.

"Hey Kono," he called out, and the said woman turned to him at the sound of her name, "do you still keep contact with Ben Bass?"

"Ben?" Kono repeated, confusion written all over her face. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"No, but Kailani just said they are co-workers." Steve answered, dropping the tone of his voice a little. "I know his name's clear, but he was once under our investigation. You've seen the community where he lives. What do you think about sending Kailani and the girls there?"

"Well, I think it's a very good community, everyone's always together…" Kono began, as she recalled the time she had spent there. "There are a lot of children there, but I'm not sure if we should send Kailani there. As a matter of fact, why are you so interested in protecting her?"

"Let's call it a hunch." Steve immediately responded, as if he had been expecting that question, and Kono nodded. "So, what do you think? Should we send her to a hotel? I can't let her go back to her place."

"They could stay with me," Kono offered, and Steve raised an eyebrow at that. "I mean, my place isn't exactly big, but we could make it work. And my place isn't that far away from work... Also, if she works with Ben, I could ask him to keep an eye on her. What do you think?"

"Alright, let me talk to her." Steve said as he rested a hand on Kono's shoulder, "On the meantime, talk to Ben. Let him know we'd appreciate his help, but don't give him the details. You know how it's done."

"Got it, boss."

Patting Kono one last time on the shoulder, Steve walked away. Glancing sideways as he made his way towards his office, Steve watched as Danny told Sango and Sora a story. He just hoped his team did not make part of the plot, but knowing Danny as he did, Steve was almost sure they did.

"So, we were talking, and Kono offered her place for you to stay in." Steve announced as he stepped inside his office, closing the door behind him as he spoke. "I think that's a good idea."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'd rather not." Kailani told him, shaking her head, and Steve raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm really sorry because I know you're trying to protect us, but I can't just move into someone's place. I'd rather stay at a hotel. I have two nieces to look after, and trust me, they are a handful."

"That's why you should stay with Kono."

"No. We don't even know if someone's really after me or not." Kailani said, and even though Steve parted his lips to speak, she continued, "I know. I know it's risky, and I know you want to make sure we're fine. I really appreciate that, but I can't do it."

"You're being too stubborn for your own good."

"This has nothing to do with stubbornness." Kailani corrected him before dropping her arms to the sides. Making her way to the armchair, she picked her bag, and opened it. Moments later, she revealed a card, and turned to Steve again. "I have your phone number."

"Which you should memorize in case something happens," Steve pretty much ordered her, and Kailani smiled faintly at that. Still holding the card with her right hand, she moved towards him, stopping when she was one-arm length away from him.

"What if I let you choose the hotel?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes. "Would that help?"

"Not really." Steve promptly responded, "But let's do it."

* * *

"Alright people, what have we got?" Steve asked as he entered inside Five-0's headquarters, after driving Kailani, Sango and Sora to the hotel he had chosen.

"I'll tell you what we've got," Danny started before Kono or Chin could say something, and he made his way towards his partner, "We have a woman who seems to know how to deal with you. Is she related to Catherine or something?"

"Jealous a woman can actually talk to the boss while you can't?" Chin asked with a smirk, and Danny turned to him, a surprised mask on his face. Pointing a finger towards the ceiling, he started talking.

"Trust me, the problem isn't me." Danny started, defending himself. "I try, I really do, but this Neanderthal just doesn't understand what communication means. For him, beating on his chest and kicking doors down is his way of communicating."

"What did you find, Kono?" Steve asked as he turned to his friend, looking away from Danny as he did so. Trying to conceal her smile, Kono looked down at the screen, and started opening a few folders.

"Alright, so this is Kailani Makaio. She's a marine biologist, and lived at the mainland before coming to Hawaii two weeks ago." Kono began introducing each member of the family as she revealed their pictures on the screen. "She's also the youngest of two, being her older brother, Kai, a marine."

"According to Kailani, he was killed in an ambush, in Iraq." Steve commented, and Kono nodded at that as a picture of a Japanese woman appeared on the screen. "Is that Kai's wife?"

"Mizuki Takahashi Makaio." Kono said as she nodded in agreement, "She was a medical corps officer. She was killed in a surprise attack, when she was at an orphanage. However, check this out."

Typing quickly on the keyboard, Kono opened a new folder. Swiftly, she chose a photo, and connected it to the other screen. Confused, Steve walked closer to it, arms crossed against his chest.

"Who am I looking at?"

"That would be Saito Takahashi." Kono started to explain before she picked another photo, putting it beside the first one, "And this is Hiko Takahashi. Does anyone want to guess who these are?"

"Well, they are definitely Japanese." Danny responded as he stared at the two pictures, "And this Saito guy is definitely way older than this Hiko."

"You said their surname is Takahashi. Are they related to Mizuki Makaio?" Chin questioned as he looked away from the screen to gaze at his cousin, who nodded.

"That's right." she responded, straightening up, and pointing to the picture on the right. "Hiko Takahashi is Mizuki's father and Saito…"

"…Is Mizuki's grandfather." Steve finished her sentence without taking his eyes from the screen. After a few seconds, he turned his head to gaze at Kono, a confused mask on his face. "Kailani said Mizuki never knew her father. Is he still alive?"

"No, he died when Mizuki was one year old." Kono informed him as she returned to the keyboard. "Her mother left Japan after his passing. It took me a while to find out why. I had to go through a lot of things, but I managed to figure it out."

"Well, you are definitely killing us with the suspense." Danny said, and Kono took a deep breath.

"I'm not sure if you're going to believe this, but Mizuki was actually the fourth generation heir to the Takahashi-kai, which is a rather notorious yakuza clan." she announced, and the three men stared at her. "I know. By looks of things, Mizuki's mother, Mayumi, knew about her husband's heritage, but tried to save herself and their child when he died."

"Do you know who killed him?" Steve inquired, and Kono hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"According to the very few files I managed to pull out, everything points to another clan."

"Wait, you said Mizuki was the fourth generation heir, but if she passed away…" Chin trailed off, but after a short moment in silence, his eyes met Steve's. "Oh boy…"

"What?" Danny asked, and Steve let out a tense sigh.

"Mizuki was the fourth generation heir, but she was killed." Steve repeated, and Danny nodded at that. "Since she was only child that means her daughters are the next heiresses. Also, that would explain the men who tried to approach Kailani at the hospital. Have you managed to ID them?"

"Not yet, but they must be related to the Takahashi-kai." Chin answered with a small nod. "They are probably watching their every move, and I'm sorry for saying this, but they'll probably make a move again sooner or later."

"And that's a very bad thing…" Danny slowly said, more to himself than to the rest of his team, but Kono still turned to him, nodding as she did.

"Very bad."

"We have to go talk to Kailani again." Steve told his team, and everyone shared a look at that.

"Maybe you should convince her to stay with me." Kono offered with a light shrug. "I mean, even if she is stubborn, she obviously cares for her nieces, and I'm sure she'll understand the situation. I bet she'll do everything it takes to protect them."

"Or you can just throw her over your shoulder, and take her to Kono's house without even asking." Danny said as he turned to his partner. "You seem to have a way with those atrocious procedures. Just like you did with the shark tank; that did the trick…"

"We're not dealing with a suspect, Danny."

"No, but since when did that make any difference to you?" Danny asked as he tilted his head to the side, but Steve simply decided to turn around on his heels, and walk out of the room. After sharing a look with Chin and Kono, Danny threw his arms in the air in exasperation, and went after his partner.

"You want us to move again?" Kailani asked as she emerged from the bedroom, her voice low and soft. Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the centre of the living room so that Sango and Sora could not hear them. "Why?"

"Have you ever heard of the Takahashi-kai?" Steve asked back, crossing his arms as he leaned against the armchair of the couch. Kailani shook her head.

"No. Who are they?"

"The Takahashi-kai is a yakuza clan." Danny started before Steve could utter a word. "In case you don't know, that means they are Japanese, and they are very bad people."

"Okay…"

"We've found out about Mizuki's father." Steve said as he looked down at his hands for a second before his eyes met Kailani's. The surprised mask on her face did not go unnoticed. "Apparently, he was killed by another clan. That's the reason why Mizuki's mother came to the United States. However, Mizuki's grandfather's still alive."

"What?" Kailani breathed out as she looked at Danny before focusing her eyes on Steve again. "Is he the one who's after us?"

"We believe so because Mizuki was the fourth generation heir." Steve told her, and Kailani looked down at that. "However, since she passed away, and she was only child then that means her daughters are the next heiresses."

"Of a yakuza clan?" Kailani breathed out, swallowing dry as she pondered about what had just been said. "The girls…do you think that man will try to take them with him? I mean…I didn't know…"

"Do you think your brother knew about this?" Danny asked, and Kailani unsteadily sat down on the couch, her face drained of any color. Shaking her head lightly, she turned to the detective.

"No, I'm sure he didn't. I mean, he… Mizuki, she..." Kailani pressed two fingers against the bridge of her nose before resting her elbows on her legs. "I'm so sorry, I don't… I don't even know what to think. I mean; yakuza? My nieces are actually the great granddaughters of a…a yakuza boss?"

"It looks like it, yes." Danny agreed with a nod, and Kailani dropped her hands before she focused her attention on the detective again. "That's why we need you to move into a safer place. This is really dangerous. We were really surprised too when we found out about this."

"Moving..." Kailani repeated, her voice coming out in a shaky breath. Then, she shook her head. "I don't... Can't we just stay here? The girls' school starts tomorrow, and I have work. Besides, I thought we had decided that this hotel would be the safest place for us to stay in for the moment."

"That was only decided because you didn't want to go to Kono's place." Steve immediately responded, almost as if he had been expecting that. "This is yakuza that we're talking about. We cannot risk anyone's safety."

"I know that, it's just... You have no idea how those two are." Kailani said as she glanced at the door of the bedroom. Sighing, she turned to Steve again. "It was difficult enough to bring them here. Sango was ready to transform herself into a detective, and Sora would have done the same if not for her injury. They kept interrogating me. Thankfully, when they saw the hotel's pool through the bedroom's window, the subject was dropped."

"Well, we could have someone watching you." Danny spoke all of a sudden, ignoring the glare Steve tried to fulminate him with. "I mean, we could have a unit or two watching over you, but it wouldn't be the same. One of us could stay here."

"Danny..."

"What? It's a situation easily fixed. One of us could stay here." Danny said as he gesticulated, his face now turned to Steve. "Besides, you and I both know this hotel _is_ safe. You chose it exactly because of that." turning to Kailani, he continued. "What's the name of their school?"

"Academy of Sacred Hearts."

"That's Grace's school!" Danny exclaimed, and then he focused his attention on his partner again. "That means I can bring them with me when I go pick Grace up."

"You're not helping." Steve warned him, and Danny raised an eyebrow at that.

"Helping you with what? All you want is an excuse to go around, guns blazing, kicking some yakuza's ass. Well, this time, I'm with Kailani." he said firmly. "If you don't like the idea, then why don't you stay here as well?"

"I'd rather take them to my place."

"Oh, what's this? Don't tell me you're worried about having to deal with two nine years-old!" Danny exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air. "Now wouldn't that be a sight? You, Mr.-I'm-Too-Cool-To-Have-Emotions, are actually scared of two little girls?"

"This is not about the girls, Danny; it's about keeping them safe!" Steve corrected his partner, rather annoyed by Danny's behavior. "You should be worried about it as well."

"I'm really sorry about all this." Kailani decided to speak up, interrupting the conversation before it escalated into something worse. "I didn't mean to complicate your lives, it's just... There's been enough change in the girls' lives. If I were alone, I'd do everything you told me to do, but I have to think about them. It's my duty to make sure they are safe in every aspect of their lives."

"Listen, I get it." Steve told her, his eyes burning into hers. Kailani felt her insides twist at the intensity of his gaze. Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett was in charge, and there was no more fooling around. Even Danny seemed to have noticed the change in his friend's demeanor because he also went silent. "Where are you going to sleep?"

"Excuse me?"

"The girls are sleeping in your bed." Steve observed as he pointed at the closed door of the bedroom with his chin. "Where are you going to sleep?"

"I was going to take the couch..." Kailani answered, rather befuddled by the new topic of conversation, "Why?"

"You're going to sleep with them." Steve ordered her before he turned to Danny, giving Kailani no opportunity to speak up. "And you're leaving. Don't forget to go pick the girls up at school tomorrow afternoon. I'll drive Sango and Sora in the morning."

"Wait, what—?"

"Do I dare to believe that our relationship is finally working?" Danny asked with a light smirk, but when Steve glared at him, he chuckled. "I guess not. Well, I this is my cue."

"Wait, what do you think you're doing?" Kailani asked as she stood up from the armchair, her eyes going from Danny to Steve.

"You leave me no choice." Steve told her as Danny waved in goodbye. Without any other word, the detective from Jersey left the room, leaving a dumbfounded Kailani behind in the company of the very indomitable Navy SEAL.

Still flabbergasted about what had just happened, Kailani turned to Steve. She could feel the tension clinging to her body as Steve's eyes turned to her. Her breath got stuck on her throat as they stood there, observing each other, drinking in all emotion that flashed through their eyes. Kailani knew, even without blinking, that he could see both her anxiety and her concern.

"Listen, this is not the situation I had in mind—" Steve began, but Kailani shook her head before cutting him off.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry."

"Who said I was going to apologize?" Steve asked as he rested his hands on his hips. "Listen, I'll take the couch. You go sleep with your nieces, and don't you dare leaving that bedroom until it's time to take the girls to school."

There was another moment of silence. Blinking as her brain finally processed what had just happened; Kailani crossed her arms against her chest.

"I better go find some sheets for you." she said before turning around on her heels, and she quietly stepped inside the bedroom. Glancing at the king-sized bed, she noticed that both Sango and Sora were fast asleep, both on their backs due to their injured limbs. Smiling softly at the sight, Kailani went to the closet, and took two sheets from inside.

Then, as quickly as she could, she left the bedroom, not bothering to close the door behind her. Noticing that Steve was no longer in the living room, she stopped by the couch, and put the sheets down. With a sigh, she picked the pillows, and put them away, leaving only one for Steve to use. She had been about to reach out for one of the sheets when Steve appeared next to her.

"I can do that." he told her, though it sounded more like a command than a suggestion. Raising an eyebrow at that, Kailani straightened up, and looked at him. As if reading her mind, Steve continued. "I was checking the bathroom."

"…The bathroom?" Kailani repeated as she blinked, a surprised expression on her face, but Steve ignored her by reaching out for one of the sheets. "Now I understand why Detective Williams has issues."

"Excuse me?" Steve asked as he was about to cover the couch with the sheet, and Kailani shook her head. "Listen, this is not a joke. There's yakuza after you. I was expecting some panic coming from you, not this…indifferent attitude."

"I _am_ scared." Kailani stated with a serious expression on her face, but when Steve locked eyes with her, she took a deep breath. "It's just… Well, I know this will probably sound strange, but I just feel safe."

"Safe?" Steve repeated, and Kailani nodded. "Why?"

A faint smile appeared on Kailani's face as she kept her eyes locked with the Lieutenant Commander. Slowly, she reached out for the second sheet, and opened it before speaking again.

"Because super-hero Spartan promised to protect me and my nieces," she said in a soft voice, without meeting Steve's eyes. "And I know I can count on him to do just that."

**To Be Continued…  
**

* * *

**Note: **_Pa`akiki_ means _stubborn_.


	5. Mahina

**Disclaimer:** I only own the Original Characters and the plot.  
**Authoress Note: **I want to thank _**francis2 **_and _**Unreal Wanderers **_for your support. I am really happy to know you are enjoying the story, and I will do my best not to disappoint you. _Mahalo_.

* * *

**Chapter V**  
Mahina

He could not sleep.

It was 5 o'clock in the morning, but he simply could not fall asleep. He had tried to, and he had most likely dozed off around two in the morning only to wake up with a start moments later. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, causing his fingers to twitch from time to time, but at same time his heartbeat was steady, his breathing regular.

He had reached out for the phone twice. The first time, he had wanted to contact Chin. The second time, he had almost called Catherine. He had failed both times because he knew Chin was with Malia, and Catherine was out on a mission. Besides, what would he say? He could tell Chin about all the thoughts that were crossing his mind, but that could wait until morning. He could also call Catherine, and talk to her about other things, but time was not appropriated.

Thoughts were consuming his mind. Occasionally, his eyes would glance at the closed door on his left. Lying on the table in front of him was his gun, ready to use in case some unfortunate soul decided to walk inside the room uninvited. He had replayed everything Kailani had told him over and over in his head, and everything made sense. Even her reaction to his team's discoveries was genuine. However, there was still something bothering him.

Why would someone take Kailani as a hostage when the twins were the main targets? The girls had been at the hospital, so why would the men in suits try to approach them there? There was a big piece of the puzzle missing, and he needed to find it soon.

Resting his hands on his head for a moment, Steve looked up when a particular thought crossed his mind. Without even blinking, he reached out for his cell-phone, and texted Danny. He knew his partner would contact him first thing in the morning.

Unable to sleep, Steve stood up, and unconsciously reached out for his gun, strapping it to his belt. Walking towards the window, he pushed the curtain aside, and observed the sky. Everything was quiet, and that was why when Steve heard a faint noise coming from behind him, he immediately turned around, hand on top of his gun.

Surprise flashed through his eyes when he saw Sango standing by the door of the bedroom, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Dropping his hand from the gun, Steve walked past the couch in direction of the sleepy girl.

"Hey..." he whispered, kneeling in front of Sango as he did so. "What are you doing up?"

"Uncle Steve..." the little girl mumbled, her voice filled with tiredness. Blinking her drowsy eyes, she tried to take a good look at his face. "I'm thirsty..."

"Then, let's do it like this; you sit down on the couch, and I'll bring you a glass of water." Steve told her in a smooth voice, and the girl nodded vaguely at that. Smiling at her, Steve stood up, and made his way towards the tray where the jar of water lay. When he turned around, glass in hand, he had to stop himself from smiling when he saw that Sango was still standing on the same spot, pretty much asleep.

"Here..." Steve whispered as he raised the glass to the girl's lips, and Sango blindly reached out for it. After two sips, she was more than ready to go back to bed. Putting the glass aside, Steve stood up, and cradled Sango in his arms, being careful not to hurt her. Then, with long strides, he made his way towards the bedroom.

When he had been just about to walk inside, Kailani emerged from the darkness. For a split of a second, they just stared at one another, their eyes locked until Kailani looked down at the sleeping girl in Steve's arms.

"I'm so sorry, I—"

"Let me put her in bed." Steve interrupted her apology, and Kailani nodded before stepping aside. Carefully, Steve put Sango down, gently covering her. Sora did not even twitch at the new weight on the mattress, and Sango did not even wake up as she snuggled against her pillow.

As Steve straightened up, he looked behind him, and saw Kailani still standing by the door, clad in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He noticed the way she was looking at his cargo pants and t-shirt, most likely noticing that he had not slept.

"Can I get you anything?" Kailani asked as Steve walked past her, and she closed the door softly behind her.

"No." Steve answered as he sat down on the couch, but when he noticed the look on her face, he sighed. "Look, I've just been thinking about this whole thing. That's all."

"I know what you mean..." Kailani said as she sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "I still can't believe it. I mean...yakuza, really? How could that be? How could Mizuki not know?"

"Her mother almost certainly left Japan to make sure Mizuki would grow up away from that world." Steve said, his elbows resting on his legs while his eyes were focused on Kailani's face. "She most likely thought both of them would be safer in the United States."

"But how could they have found out about the girls?" Kailani asked, distress written all over her face. "I mean...do you think they want to hurt them?"

"No, I'm pretty sure they would've done that already had that been their plan." Steve responded, shaking his head. "I think there's something else that we're not seeing, and I'm willing to bet it has something to do with the assault at the bookshop café."

"What makes you say that?"

"I believe that the guys who took you may be related to the yakuza." Steve responded, and Kailani's eyes widened in horror. Immediately, Steve raised a hand in the air. "However, this is a mere presumption. I may be mistaken."

There was a moment of silence, during which Steve continued staring directly into Kailani's eyes. He wanted her to see that even if things were to become more dangerous, he would still keep his promise. He wanted her to know that even if there was something to fear, he would still protect her and the girls.

"I know I have no right to say this, but..." Kailani trailed off, and Steve waited. For a moment, she just looked down at her nails, obviously nervous about what she was going to say next. "I've told you before that my father forced my brother and me to learn martial arts."

Steve nodded in response, and waited. Taking a deep breath, Kailani raised her eyes, and looked at him.

"He also wanted to teach me how to use a gun, but I always refused."

"I won't teach you how to handle one." Steve immediately said, and Kailani shook her head.

"I wasn't going to ask you to teach me how to use one." she said, and Steve had to stop himself from raising an eyebrow at that. Gluing her lips together, Kailani locked eyes with his. "Could you... Could you teach me how to fight?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know this may sound silly because fists are nothing compared with bullets." Kailani added while keeping her voice down, "And I know I can count on you to watch over the girls, but I cannot expect you to save me all the time. If what you said it's true; if the assailants are somehow involved and someone may try to kidnap my nieces, then I want to put up a fight. Or at least try to."

"Do you realize what you've just asked me to do?" Steve asked, surprised by the sudden request. He did not even bother to conceal the shocked expression on his face. "You want me to teach you martial arts?"

"Well, I was thinking more about how my muscles have become stiff from the lack of exercise, and you are a former Navy SEAL so..." Kailani trailed off, eyes dropping as her voice faded away. "This was a very bad idea. I'm really sorry for bothering you with this."

Kailani stood up from the couch as she spoke, but as she turned around, she felt five strong fingers wrapping around her wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she felt her breath get stuck in her throat when she noticed the dark look in Steve's eyes.

"Remember; you're the one who asked for this." he said, dropping his hand, and Kailani slowly turned around in order to face him. "There's no way I'm going to let you back down on this once we begin your training. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Kailani's lungs stopped functioning for a moment. When she did not answer, Steve stood up, and he was so close she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Steve continued observing every emotion that crossed her eyes, ready to drink in every small speck of uncertainty that would emerge from the bottom of her soul. He was a little taken back, though, when he saw none.

"Alright," Kailani whispered at same time she nodded, "Let's do it."

Three hours later, their training would begin, but not before a quick stop at the Academy of Sacred Hearts where Sango and Sora were dropped off. Both of them had been delighted to go to school in Steve's truck, which they now affectionately called 'Uncle Spartan's Super Car'. Then, after making sure they would be alright under the attentive care of one of the teachers, both Steve and Kailani returned to the car.

Five-0's headquarters would be their next stop.

"I'm calling the Governor." Steve informed Kailani as he drove down the road, and Kailani looked at him. "I understand you have your routine, but at the moment it's too dangerous for you to go work. I'll make sure you still have your job after this whole thing ends, ok?"

"The Governor?" Kailani asked, perplexed by his comment, "Really?"

"Would it shock you if I said I have him on speed-dial?" Steve asked back, but before Kailani could think of anything to say, he reached out for his cell-phone. Soon enough, Governor Samuel Denning's voice echoed from the other side of the line. In silence, Kailani listened as Steve spoke to the Governor, letting him know about his team's latest mission. Eventually, Steve also mentioned her job, and soon enough, Kailani was reassured that everything would be alright.

However, before she could thank the Governor herself, Steve ended the call.

Minutes later, they were already at Five-0's Headquarters, making their way towards the office. Once there, they could see that Chin, Kono and Danny had also arrived. Pictures related to the assault at the bookshop café were displayed in every screen, and for a moment Kailani felt dread consume her whole body before she successfully managed to push the feeling away.

"So, I got your text!" Danny exclaimed, hands in the air, when Steve stopped next to him, "How kind of you to send me a text at 5 o'clock in the morning. And it was such a nice subject too; me having to go with Chin to jail, to interview three assailants. Thank you so much for your consideration."

"What do you want us to do?" Chin asked, intervening before Danny could say something else, and Steve turned to him.

"I want you to ask those guys about who paid them to do the job."

"What makes you think they were paid?" Danny asked, as he frowned at his partner's statement. "What happened during the night? Don't tell me you think you're Batman now or something, because – and trust me when I say this – you really need your beauty sleep. You look like crap."

"Thanks Danno." was all Steve responded, rather distractedly, and his nonchalant actions were enough to annoy his partner. Then, Steve turned to Chin, "I have the feeling someone paid them. That would explain why they took Kailani instead of staying at the shop with the rest of the possible hostages. It would also explain why she was the only one taken. Kono, you said there's a quarrel between the Takahashi-kai and another yakuza clan. Can you try to figure out who that clan is?"

"I'll do my best, but these guys know how to cover their tracks." Kono answered with a nod, "I can also look at the photos again. Maybe there's something in them that we missed."

"So, you want us to interrogate the assailants, and make us tell the name of the clan." Chin observed as he stared at Steve. "We'll start with the weakest link. If we manage to break him, then our job will be easier. If not, we still have two other choices."

"Call me once you know something."

"Wait, wait!" Danny exclaimed when Steve was about to turn around on his heels. Then, he pointed a finger at the Lieutenant Commander. "What are you going to do while we are doing the hard work?"

Glancing at his friends, Steve felt the corner of his lips curling upwards into a smirk. Then, he gazed at Kailani, who met his eyes, before turning to Danny again.

"I'm going swimming."

* * *

"Maybe this is a good time to tell you I didn't bring my bathing suit."

Kailani could not explain what it was, but her heart was racing, her skin tingling in nervousness. When Steve had parked the truck in front of his house, she had been feeling great. He had not even given her a tour; rather, he had taken her through the house, straight ahead until they were at the back of his place.

The scenery had blown her away. The water was tranquil, effervescent in all its glorious blue color. The sand was warm and inviting, and the surrounding trees gave them more than enough seclusion. The atmosphere was screaming at her to plunge into the depths of the water, and she would have done it even with her clothes on if not for a small detail.

Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett.

Cheeks burning, Kailani found it impossible to look away. Was he even aware of the effect he had on women? Yes, because Kailani was certain she was not the only one to practically gawk at him. She had tried not to pay attention when he started taking his boots off, but when he had reached out for the hem of his t-shirt only to flung it aside over his head, Kailani felt her heart drop.

Speaking had become impossible. Her mouth had gone dry the moment his eyes had turned to her. He still had his cargo pants on, which was good. Kailani certainly did not need any more distractions. The fact she was behaving like a thirteen year-old was embarrassing enough.

"Take your pants off. You can keep the t-shirt."

"Excuse me?" Kailani could feel her whole face burn in awkwardness, and she had to force herself to look away when Steve took his pants off only to fold them, and put them on top of a beach chair. And to think she was to blame for their current situation. Had she not asked for Steve to help her train in hand-to-hand combat then they certainly would not be at the back of his house, getting ready to go swimming.

"If you go swimming with your pants on, the weight will slow you down." Steve stated as he straightened up, blue shorts clinging to his legs. "If you drown, then there will be no point in our training."

"Why do we have to go swimming anyway?" Kailani asked, gathering the courage to face him. "Hand-to-hand combat—"

"Swimming provides an ideal environment to build muscle." Steve interrupted her as he started walking in direction of the water. He did not even bother to look over his shoulder. "The constant resistance provided by the water means that you exert effort throughout your movement, rather than when pushing and pulling, then releasing as you do with a weight workout on dry land."

"Is that why we're not going to jog like normal people do?" Kailani asked as she followed him, though making sure to keep a safe distance from the waves since she was still fully-clothed. Steve, on the other hand, continued walking until he had water up to his knees. It was only then that he finally turned to her.

"Actually, swimming is easy on your joints and provides a cardiovascular workout as well. You can swim laps and get an all-over workout, or target specific muscle groups to see muscle gains." he stated before shrugging. "You're sounding too much like Danny, which you promised you wouldn't."

"I never said anything like that."

"You did, when you said you wouldn't complain once the training began." Steve corrected her before turning around and plunge in. When he returned to the surface, Steve lost no time in showing his powerful strokes. It was obvious he swam regularly, and Kailani threw her arms in the air at his behavior.

She guessed that explained why his partner was always on the edge.

Grumbling to herself, Kailani was about to take her pants off when she stopped. Was she really going to do that? Her cheeks started burning again as she thought about her current situation, and she bashfully eyed the water. Steve was still swimming back and forth, not really caring about what she was doing.

"Spartan, you're going to be the end of me."

Closing her eyes, Kailani took her pants off, and took a deep breath. Folding her pants, she made her way towards the beach chair, and put them next to Steve's. Looking over her shoulder, she waited for a second before cautiously making her way towards the teasing waves. Biting her lower lip, she stopped when she felt the inviting water playing with her toes.

Raising her eyes, she focused her attention on Steve's figure, and started walking forward. She only dove in when the water reached her waist. When she came back to the surface, she almost caught a fright when she saw that Steve had stopped swimming, and was watching her.

"I'm here..." Kailani mumbled, not knowing what else to say. "However, tell me again why we couldn't go jogging or something?"

"No one comes here. If we jogged then you'd have a hard time trying to keep up with me, and someone could try to attack you." Steve commented, and Kailani raised an eyebrow at that.

"_I_ would have a hard time trying to keep up with _you_?" she asked, "Who said I'd have a hard time? And why couldn't it be the other way around?"

Steve simply smirked at that, and Kailani suddenly felt the urge to take the irritating, but oh-so sexy smirk off his face. It was official; he knew how good looking he was, and he had no problems in using his looks to his advantage.

"Let's start by warming up with breaststroke. You have to swim twelve laps, and each lap is twenty-five yards. Then, you'll have to do another eight laps. You know backstroke?" Steve asked, and Kailani nodded. "Good, you have to do that twice. Afterwards, we'll go back to shore, and do circuit training."

"I thought it was your duty to make sure we survived to this whole thing?" Kailani asked as she raised an eyebrow, and once again Steve smirked at her. A shiver run up her spine at the look on his face, but Kailani did her best not to show it.

"It is my duty to make sure you are safe from the yakuza," he said with a short nod, "But I never said anything about you surviving my training."

"You really are a Spartan." Kailani muttered before she could stop herself, but Steve acted like he didn't hear her. Instead, he started swimming, and she knew it was time for her to do the same. Sighing, Kailani prepared herself for the training that was about to begin. As she started swimming, she inwardly thanked heavens for it because the training would require all of her concentration leaving none for her to check Steve McGarrett's indecent figure out.

One hour later, Kailani emerged from the water feeling too numb to even process one single thought. Steve was worse than a personal trainer, and once she reached the shoreline, she sat down on the sand. The waves still reached her legs, but they simply tickled her skin.

"Who said you could sit down?" Steve asked as he emerged from the water, his shorts clinging even more to his legs. Drops of water rolled down every muscle before fainting as they fell on the sand. Running his fingers through his sodden hair, Steve was about to walk past her when Kailani threw sand in direction of his legs.

"Spartan, you are so going to be the end of me..." she tried to sound serious, but her eyes persisted in looking at what existed below his neck making it impossible for her to look solemn. She truly hoped every day would not be like that, because she would certainly not survive to it.

Steve had been about to retort, when his cell-phone started ringing. Turning to his cargo pants, Steve took the phone from one of the various pockets. The look on his face, and the small grin that appeared on his lips, was more than enough for Kailani to have an idea about who could be calling.

"Don't go anywhere." Steve ordered her, without even looking at her. Kailani parted her lips to retort, when Steve answered the call, and pressed the cell-phone against his ear, "Hey Cath."

Not wanting to eavesdrop the conversation, Kailani stood up, and walked in direction of the water again. This time, however, she did not dive. Instead, she stood immobile with water up to her waist while occasionally dipping her hands into the seductive ocean. The call had come just in time. She honestly did not know what was going on with her; Steve was there to protect her and her nieces, and she was certainly not allowed to think about anything other than the yakuza. There was a Japanese clan after her, for heaven's sake, and there she was, feeling like a thirteen year old. She certainly was old enough to know when to _not_ develop a silly crush.

"Oh crap..." Kailani mumbled to herself before covering her face with both hands, feeling the salty water kissing her lips. Steve also had a girlfriend, of that she was certain, so hopefully that alone would be enough to stop her from developing anything more serious.

"I thought I told you not to move."

Kailani jumped, startled by the unexpected voice. Twirling around so fast she almost lost her balance, she found herself standing less than one arm length away from Steve. The look on his eyes caused her stomach to twist and turn and her heart to start racing.

She was doomed.

* * *

"So, did you guys manage to find anything?" Kono asked as she looked away from the screen, arms crossed against her chest. Danny and Chin shared a look at the question, and made their way towards the desk.

"They're tough guys, I'll tell you that." Danny sighed as he rested his hands on the desk, a weary look on his face. "Thank heavens we managed to break one of them before Grace's classes are over. I really need to go pick her up as well as the twins."

"The boss told you to pick them up?" Kono asked, and Danny nodded.

"Yeah... While he's swimming around, pretending to be Aquaman or something, I'm going to pick my daughter and two other girls." he answered, waving his hands in the air. "I have no idea what to do with them afterwards, though. I can't bring them here, and I don't want to take them to the hotel."

"Why don't you take them to Kamekona's?" suggested Chin as he shrugged, and Kono smiled at that.

"Yeah, we could meet you there afterwards." she agreed with a small nod. Then, she paused, "I mean, if you do have something for me to work with."

"After three hours interrogating three idiots? You better be prepared for our information." Danny told her, and Kono chuckled at that. "Listen; during your research about the second clan, did you manage to come up with any name?"

"That and more," Kono answered as she started typing on the keyboard, and seconds later a photo appeared in one of the screens. "I ran the plate that the boss managed to write down through the system, and I got a match. The silver car was rented by a man named Enishi Hajime. He flew from Japan two weeks ago, on holidays."

"Two weeks?" Chin asked as he raised an eyebrow, "You think he can be related to one of the clans?"

"And you said he came here on holidays?" Danny asked as he crossed his arms against his chest, "How long is he planning on staying here?"

"Accordingly to the report that was sent from the rental car company, Enishi is planning on staying him for a whole month." Kono responded, "However, I have no records of him coming with other people."

"If he has been here for the last two weeks, then he could have been the one who contacted the assailants." Chin told her as he walked around the table, and stared at the photos displayed on the screens. "One of the assailants told us that they were all contacted via phone – untraceable, I'm willing to bet – and paid in advance to follow Kailani. They were told that they should scare her until new orders were delivered."

"Using her as a hostage was their idea of scaring her?" Kono inquired as she raised an eyebrow, and Chin shook his head.

"Apparently, they thought it was a good idea at the time. They realized their mistake as soon as they saw Steve's truck tailing them, but it was too late by then."

"How were they paid?"

"Each one was paid in cash. They said they received the money through their mailbox, which leads me to believe someone from the clan is already here, in Hawaii." Danny said, "They also said they have no idea who paid them because they never met the person."

"It may have been this Enishi guy." Chin finished, "If you have photos, then we can run them through the surveillance footage from the airports. I'm pretty sure we'll get a hit."

"You know what...?" Kono trailed off as she started typing at full speed on the keyboard, opening folders as she spoke. "It will be easier if we check the names from the lists of every flight. Japanese names are easy to find, and we could see if they match any of the names I have found."

"Good, then Chin will help you with that." Danny said as he clasped his hands together, "I have three princesses waiting for me, and I don't want Steven to bite my head off simply because I arrived at school three seconds after the bell rang."

"I'll call Steve, then." Chin informed the detective, and Danny nodded at that. Bidding farewell, he left the office, leaving Chin and Kono to stare at one another.

"What do you think about all this, Cuz?" Kono asked as she looked from Chin to gaze at the pictures on the screen. "Do you really think someone will be capable of hurting those girls?"

"Not sure," Chin responded as he shook his head, his eyes also focusing on the screen, "But we'll make sure no one hurts any of them."

Kono nodded at that.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Note:** _Mahina_ means_ moon._


	6. Palapala kono

**Disclaimer:** I only own the Original Characters and the plot.  
**Authoress Note: **I want to thank _**Unreal Wanderers **_and _**francis2 **_for your support. I am really happy to know you are enjoying the story, and I will do my best not to disappoint you. _Mahalo_.

* * *

**Chapter VI**

_Palapala kono_

Something was very, very wrong, and the problem was that he could not just go and investigate. Glancing down at his watch, he took a deep breath before gazing at the three petite figures sitting at a table, each one carrying a shave ice. He wanted to alert his partner, but he knew his actions were being monitored.

Running his fingers through his hair as a light breeze blew softly, he rested his free hand on his hip. As if feeling his gaze on her, Grace raised her eyes, and smiled widely at him. Danny quickly returned the smile, feeling pride swell on his chest. The three girls had excitedly informed him that they had been placed in the same classroom, and they had quickly become friends. Grace had even made it her job to show the twins around the school.

Nodding at his daughter, Danny turned around, and made his way to Kamekona, who was talking to two tourists. He had been just about to speak when he spotted a figure through the corner of his eyes, and his mind immediately went blank.

"Hey!"

Bright smile, brown locks fluttering at the wind, Danny was surprised to find her there. He had expected for her to be working. In fact, he had thought it would take them a while to meet again…not that he was complaining, of course.

"Gabby! Hey!" Danny greeted after swallowing hard, and he went to her. Heart fluttering, Danny could only hope he did not look as nervous as he felt. He seriously did not want to ruin his reputation. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was actually on my way to the museum when I looked this way, and saw you." Gabrielle explained, still with a wide smile on her lips. Then, she glanced over his shoulder. "Then, I saw you were with Grace, and figured it wouldn't hurt to make a quick stop just to say hello."

"Oh, it's good that you did. I've missed you." Danny said, but as soon as those words escaped from his lips, he almost smacked himself on the forehead. Quickly, he added. "Grace and I, I mean, we've missed you. She even asked me to take her to the museum one of these days to see you…and the museum."

"Well, you know you can show up any time you want." Gabrielle told him as she clasped her hands in front of her legs. The smile on her face was truly distracting since it was absolutely dazzling, and Danny simply could not look away from her lips. "Have you adopted twins while I wasn't looking?"

"What?" Danny asked, finally snapping from his stupor, and when Gabrielle looked over his shoulder again, he followed her stare. "Oh, that! Actually, follow me; I'll introduce you to them. They are actually nieces of a woman we're currently protecting."

"Really? Is everything okay with her?" Gabrielle asked as the two of them approached the table where the three little girls were, and Danny paused before answering. Well, he had yet to talk to Steve, but he sure hoped he had not scared Kailani to life with his over-enthusiastic antics.

"Yeah, it's just something related to the yakuza." Danny answered, but when he saw the look on Gabrielle's face, he decided to continue. "Listen, don't worry. We have everything under control. Besides, I'd like to introduce you to the twins; Sango and Sora. You already know my lovely daughter, Grace."

"Hello!" Gabrielle greeted, and the three girls looked up at her.

"You're pretty!" Sora exclaimed while the two other girls greeted Gabrielle, and the doctor smiled sweetly at them.

"Thank you. So are you...all of you." Gabrielle said as she walked to Grace's side, and then she waved a hand in direction of the empty seat next to the little girl. "May I sit here?"

"Yes." Grace answered with a nod, and Gabrielle elegantly sat down next to her. Then, Grace raised her shave ice. "Want some?"

"Oh, allow me…" Danny said, taking the cue to go to Kamekona's side. He had returned to the interior of his shrimp truck, and Danny went to him. "Hey, big guy, I need to talk to you."

"Hey, what can I get you?" Kamekona asked as he hovered over the counter, and Danny had to stop himself from looking around at his surroundings.

"I need you to contact Steve." he said, slowly reaching out for his wallet. "Tell him we're here, and that I need his help, but tell him not to fret. Last thing I need is to have him wandering around, gun in hand."

"Oh? You think something's gonna happen?" Kamekona asked, and Danny shrugged his shoulders lightly. Opening his wallet, and taking some cash, he put it on the counter.

"I seriously hope not." was all he said, dropping his hand so that he could put his wallet in his back pocket again. "Also, I need a shave ice. Passion fruit flavour will do.

"Coming right up!" Kamekona exclaimed, loud enough for anyone to hear, before disappearing inside the truck. Nodding, Danny turned to his side, and smiled as he watched Gabrielle telling something to his daughter and the twins, making them laugh. He took in the way she interacted with Grace, and felt warmth spread through his whole body.

He was glad at least that was going right.

"Hey, _brah_, here's your shave ice." Kamekona said as he appeared by the counter, and Danny turned around. Nodding in appreciation, he grabbed the shave ice, and Kamekona nodded back at him. "Everything's set. I hope you enjoy it."

"Thanks."

Danny turned his back to the shrimp truck, and approached the table where his girls were, but not before glancing around. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed that the silver car he had spotted not too long ago in the parking lot was no longer there.

"Hey Gabby, do you mind watching over the girls for a sec?" Danny asked as he settled the shave ice on the table, and Gabrielle raised her head to look at him. "I just have to go check something real quick."

"Sure." was all Gabrielle had time to say for Danny took the cue to make his way towards the parking lot. Resting his hand on top of his gun, Danny surveyed the area, ignoring the curious looks he was getting from tourists. He had been just about to turn around, and go back to Gabrielle and his daughter, when he spotted the silver car leaving the parking lot.

"Hey!" he shouted, running as fast as he could down the parking lot, avoiding the few cars that were coming his way. Once he got the opportunity, he ran to the other side of the road, holstering his gun as he did, but the driver ignored him. Stopping, Danny raised his gun when the car started moving, but decided not to shot. There were too many civilians around, and he simply could not risk it.

"Damn it…" Danny cursed under his breath as the silver car disappeared down the road, but he immediately reached out for his phone, and pressed it against his ear. "Kono, I'm at Kamekona's, and the silver car was just here. Use the traffic cameras to try to find where it may go. It just turned left. I think the driver may go to the center of the city. Let me know when you find something."

Ending the call, Danny put the cell-phone inside his pants' pocket, and let out a long sigh. Putting his gun away, he straightened up, and returned to Gabrielle's side in time to see her laughing at the little girls' antics as they joked over their iced shaves.

"So, ladies, may I know what's going on in here, or is this little reunion for girls only?" Danny asked, noticing the way Gabrielle gazed at the three girls, who started giggling. Smiling, she turned to Danny.

"I think you can sit down." she said, and Danny smiled at her before occupying the seat next to Grace so that she was in-between him and Gabrielle. "I was just telling the girls about a few rather humorous situations that have happened at the museum."

"Hopefully you're not giving them any ideas."

"Oh, trust me; you have nothing to worry about." Gabrielle reassured him, and it was then that Grace turned to her father, big eyes filled with excitement.

"Can we spend a night at the museum?" at the question, Danny raised both eyebrows before focusing his attention on Gabrielle, who chuckled, a guilty smile on her face.

"Okay, so you may have something to worry about, but in my defense, it was an innocent story." she said, and Danny parted his lips to speak. Unfortunately, he did not have the chance to speak because someone else did it for him.

"Aunt Kali!" Sora exclaimed all of a sudden. Turning to his side, Danny watched as Steve and Kailani approached them from behind him. Sharing a quick look with Gabrielle, he stood up again, and made his way towards his partner.

"We need to talk." he immediately said before turning to Kailani, "Hey, that's Gabby over there. Would you mind joining her while I talk to Steve?"

"No problem…" Kailani answered, but it was obvious she knew that something had happened. The look she had given Steve before walking away had been enough proof of that.

"So, why did you ask Kamekona to contact me?" Steve asked, as he folded his arms against his chest.

"Guess who was here?" Danny asked back, and when Steve narrowed his eyes, he threw his arms in the air. "I was here, with Gracie and the twins, and at a certain time I happened to look over at the parking lot, and guess what was there?"

"The silver car…"

"Bingo! And guess who was driving it?" Danny asked, and it was then that Steve glared at him, "Fine, fine, stop with the Navy SEAL stare. Kono managed to find the car; it was rented by a guy named Enishi. So far, we cannot relate him to any of the clans, but since he was here…"

"He's most likely related to the yakuza." Steve finished the thought, and Danny nodded at that. "They obviously know which school the girls are in, which is something I don't understand. I would've seen the silver car had they followed us in the morning…"

"Really, it must be a miracle. Either that or you're getting old because nothing's supposed to escape those eagle eyes of yours." Danny commented as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Or maybe it's time you go see that therapist I told you about before. Maybe your mind is getting way too overflowing with too many things, such as going to swim with a woman who is not your old friend."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Have you ever heard that 'vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others'?" Danny inquired back, and when Steve sent him a confused look, he smirked. "Oh, this is fun. You have no idea how amusing it is to see you like this."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Steve asked, but Danny simply smirked evilly at that before shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant way.

"There's no way I'm going to tell you. I'll buy the popcorns, sit down and enjoy the show instead." he said as he started making his way towards the table where the girls were. "But this is going to be so much fun…"

Glancing over his shoulder one last time, Danny had to stop himself from laughing at the look on Steve's face. His partner was obviously not getting what he was saying, and he loved it. He would certainly have many other opportunities to mess with him, and Danny could hardly wait.

* * *

"Aunt Kali…" Sango called out after she pulled the seatbelt over her torso, and Kailani looked over her shoulder. "Are we going to the hospital?"

"Yes, sweetie, Dr. Dallas wants to see your arm as well as Sora's leg." Kailani answered with a short nod. "He won't take your cast yet, though. It still needs a little bit of more time to heal."

"Me too?" Sora asked as she looked up from her injured leg, and Kailani twisted around on her seat so that she could look at the little girl behind her.

"Yes, sweetie, the same goes for you too." she responded, and Steve looked over the rear view-mirror at the two girls, but did not say anything. Instead, he kept his eyes on the road, paying attention to any suspicious car that could be following them to the hospital.

"Is Uncle Steve going to come with us?" Sango asked, and Kailani shared a look with the Commander before looking at her niece. However, before she could answer, Steve did it for her.

"I'll wait by the reception area. I have a few things I need to discuss with Olina." he said, and Sango nodded at that. Then, it was Sora's turn to interrogate them.

"Are we going home after the hospital?"

"Oh no, honey, we have to go back to the hotel." Kailani told her as she focused her eyes on the youngest of the twins. "I know we've been going through a lot of changes lately, but I promise that as soon as everything's alright, we'll go back home."

"Is Uncle Steve going with us?" Sora inquired, and once again, it was Steve's turn to answer.

"I am going to return to the hotel with you." he said, nodding as he spoke. "I want to make sure you two and your aunt are safe before letting you go back home."

"Why are you protecting us, Uncle Steve?" Sango questioned as she stared at him with her big, round eyes. "Is it because we're not behaving well?"

"Oh no, don't you ever think like that. On the contrary, you're already doing so much!" Kailani said in a reassuring tone, her eyes going from Sango to Sora, back to Sango again. "I know that things have been far from perfect, and I know you'd rather be at home to be at the hotel, but I promise it won't be for long."

"And I'm protecting you because you two are very cute, and I simply cannot help but want to look after you." Steve stated as he looked through the rear view-mirror. "You should ask Gracie; I do the same for her."

"Did you stay at a hotel with her too?" Sora timidly asked, and Steve smirked at that.

"No, because she has her daddy to look after her at night." he said, "I just hope all these questions don't mean you don't like having me around…"

"No!" both girls shouted at once, and Steve laughed at that. Kailani smiled at their antics, her eyes going from the twins to Steve. Her heart raced as she saw his white smile. It was a shame he did not smile more often because it certainly suited him. "We like you, Uncle Spartan!"

"Now, what did I tell you girls?" Steve groaned, and it was Kailani's turn to laugh out loud. As the happy atmosphere died down, silence started overflowing. The hospital appeared as Steve turned left, and Kailani found herself scanning the parking lot. Hopefully, there would be no silver car parked there.

"It's fine." Steve said all of a sudden, and Kailani's eyes turned to him. He did not meet her gaze, instead, he quickly parked the truck only to open his door moments later. Mimicking his actions, Kailani also left the truck, and opened the door on Sora's side.

"Give me your crutches, sweetie." Kailani requested, and Sora did what she was told. Leaning the two bright pink crutches against the truck, Kailani had been about to raise her arms when Steve appeared next to her with Sango.

"Let me do that."

"You don't have to." Kailani tried to say, but Steve was already reaching out for Sora, picking her easily in his arms. It astounded her, really, the way Commander Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, who obviously enjoyed looking like a big bad wolf, could act as soothingly as he was at the moment.

"Thanks, Uncle Steve!" Sora thanked as Steve settled her down on the ground before handing her the crutches.

"Thank you…" Kailani whispered as she began walking towards the front doors of the hospital with the girls. Not surprisingly, Steve did not say anything.

"Well, look at who it is!" Olina greeted with a wide smile on her wrinkled face. "I was beginning to think my favorite girls had forgotten all about me."

"We'd never forget about you, Olina!" both Sango and Sora said at same time as they approached the reception's desk.

"Here!" Sora exclaimed as she took something from her shorts' pocket, and put it on top of the counter. One single candy lay there until Sango mimicked her sister's actions, and also placed one candy on the counter.

"Oh, my sweet girls!" Olina exclaimed before walking around the counter, and pull the two girls into a big hug. Steve and Kailani shared a look. "You're so cute!"

"Olina, I'm sorry, but we really need to go see Dr. Dallas." Kailani spoke as she stepped closer to the group. "I believe he's expecting us."

"Oh yes, of course." Olina said as she straightened up, releasing the twins as she did so. Her lips were still curled upwards into a warm smile, and she patted the two little girls on their heads. "I have a surprise for you when you return."

"A surprise?" Sora repeated, her eyes widening in excitement.

"What is it?" Sango asked at same time, and Olina laughed wholeheartedly at their questions. Resting her hands on her hips, she tried to look serious as she stared at the two girls.

"If I told you it would no longer be a surprise."

"Besides, you should say thank you." Kailani added as she lowered herself so that she was on the same level as her nieces. "Now, c'mon, we really need to go. Let's let Dr. Dallas check your casts."

"I believe that means I'll be left in the company of Commander Lieutenant McGarrett, here." Olina said, still with her hands on her hips. Swiftly, she focused her eyes on the Commander, and Kailani took the opportunity to lead her nieces away. "Well, at least you have no wounds whatsoever today."

"I'm trying to create a new record." Steve answered with a shrug, and Olina raised an eyebrow at that.

"You mean, your first record about not getting into any sort of trouble." she corrected him before looking over her shoulder for a second, "Though I guess that having you around those three will most likely end up with you getting something fractured."

"Why do you say that?" Steve inquired as he raised an eyebrow, and Olina smiled faintly at that. Slowly, she made her way around the reception desk only to stop when she reached her seat. Then, she reached out for something, the amused smile on her face fading away. "Oh, I forgot to give this to Kailani."

Looking over the counter, Steve saw the envelope Olina was holding in her hands. Staring at the woman in the eye, he raised a hand over the counter. Olina looked at him for a moment before gazing down at the envelope.

"Who gave that to you?"

"Oh, this? A young man dropped it here." Olina said, as she raised the envelope, and handed it to Steve, "Very handsome, very polite. He asked me to hand this to her next time I saw her. I saw no reason to refuse."

"What did he look like?" Steve asked as he examined the envelope, and Olina thought about it for a moment.

"Just the way I described him; very handsome, very polite… He said that's an invitation for Kailani for some sort of party. I thought it was nice of him because only heavens know how that girl needs to loosen up." Olina paused for a moment only to widen her eyes seconds later. "Oh, he was definitely Japanese! He sure looked like one."

Steve raised his eyes at that.

"And he knew Kailani would be here?"

"Yeah, he seemed to know about the twins' injures, and he looked really worried about it." Olina said before raising a hand. "Now give it back to me. I won't let you ruin this opportunity for Kailani to go and have fun because I know she won't get that with you around."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked, and Olina stared at him really hard.

"As if you don't know; your idea of having fun is jumping off a roof, chasing criminals as you go. Heavens know I don't want that around my girls." she answered, and Steve shook his head.

"You're like a big momma."

"I _am_ a big momma."

Smiling at Olina's response, Steve reached out for his cell-phone, and called Chin.

"Hey, listen, I need you to come to the hospital, and request for the surveillance footage." Steve told his co-worker, and his eyes turned to Olina. "Someone left an envelope for Kailani with the receptionist. A Japanese man accordingly to Olina. Yeah, I'm at the hospital right now with Kailani and the twins."

"I don't know if it helps, but the man came here around 8 o'clock in the morning." Olina decided to say, and Steve nodded at that.

"Chin, listen, the man was here in the morning. Yeah, let me know when you find something. Okay, thanks."

As he put his cell-phone away, Steve turned to Olina, and noticed the way she was staring at him. Inwardly, he prepared himself for the lecture that was soon to happen, and approached the desk again.

"What?"

"I see your record won't hold for long." Olina observed as she stared him, like a mother getting ready to scold her child. "They are in danger, aren't they? And you better not even dare to lie to me, or I'll be the one to break your record."

"Yes, they're in danger." Steve told her, knowing there was no reason to go around the bush. "Someone's after the twins, and apparently they want to get them through Kailani. That's why I'm here; my team is protecting them."

"Are you telling me I did wrong by accepting that envelope?" Olina asked as she eyed the object in Steve's hand, and the Commander shook his head.

"On the contrary, this will definitely helps us." he said, "We need some answers, and I get the feeling this will point us in the right direction."

As he spoke, Steve opened the envelope, and even Olina shifted closer to the counter to stare down at it. For a moment, Steve simply observed the invitation card. Linen paper revealed the opulence behind the invitation, and then there was the address.

"What's wrong? Is it a death threat?" she asked, low enough so that her co-workers could not hear her, but Steve barely paid attention to her. Instead, he reached out for his cell-phone, and waited. When a male voice emerged from the other side of the line, he straightened his back, and narrowed his eyes.

"Chin, I need you to investigate the address I'm going to give you. Also, I need you and Kono to find a way to get yourselves on the staff's list, and add Danny to the guests' list."

As she listened to Steve talking on the phone, Olina felt her breath get stuck on her throat. Something was wrong, really wrong. Steve may have told her that she had done right by accepting the envelope, but now she was no longer sure. It seemed that what had once been an innocent conversation had become a poisonous trap.

"The bait has just been dropped." Steve continued as he looked down at the invitation card, clenching his fingers around it as he did, "And it's time for us to swallow it."

Half an hour later, Kailani returned with the twins, the little girls looking rather excited. As soon as their eyes fell on Olina, their smiles widened, and the older lady shared a look with Steve. At the Commander's nod, she nodded as well, and turned to them.

"Well, I do believe it's time for your surprise." she said, smiling at Sango and Sora. "Would you like to accompany me to my locker? Emma, would you mind covering for me for five minutes? I'll be right back. I just have to give something to these little troublemakers."

"We're not troublemakers." Sango promptly said, trying to look serious, but her pout only resulted in everyone laughing.

"Now, c'mon, let's go before I change my mind." Olina said as she motioned for the girls to follow her, "I'm pretty sure you don't want that happening, do you?"

"What's the surprise?" Sora asked as she started following Olina, and eventually their voices faded away along with the sound of their steps. When they were left alone, Kailani turned to Steve, ready to tell him that everything was going great with her nieces, when she noticed the look on his face. All happiness drained from her eyes as a frown appeared on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone dropped this here for you." Steve said as he handed her the invitation card along with the envelope, and Kailani looked down at it for a second before accepting it. Confused, she read the contents of the invitation card. "It was a Japanese man who dropped it. I'm willing to bet it was one of those three guys in suits we saw before."

"...How?" Kailani breathed out as she continued to inspect the invitation card. "And why would they leave this for me? It makes no sense..."

"This is bait." Steve told her as he reached out for the invitation card, and waved it in the air. "They are luring us, and we're going to swallow it."

"What? But it might be a trap!" Kailani said as she stared at him, not really believing in what she was hearing. Steve nodded at that.

"Yes, this is a trap, but we have go for it." he agreed, "Everything's already being taken care of. Kono and Chin will be among the staff, and Danny will also be a guest. These are probably moves they're already anticipating, but the good thing is that so are we."

"Don't you think you should think better about this?" Kailani asked, anxiety pulsating through her veins. "I don't want you taking unnecessary risks. I understand this has to end eventually, but you're willingly entering into the lion's den."

"Well, we have to do it in order to kill two birds with one stone." Steve told her, "But you shouldn't even be worrying about that. Tell me, how serious are you about your training?"

"What?"

"How serious are you about your training?" Steve repeated, his voice low and serious. "I'm asking this because I won't be wasting my time helping someone whose heart is not there."

"Shouldn't you have asked me that before?" Kailani asked back, her eyes locked with Steve's. "I am serious. I wouldn't have asked you to help me otherwise. I know this won't be a walk in the park, but I won't give up halfway either. If you were so unsure about my dedication towards all this, why did you agree to help me so quickly?"

"Because I know the feeling of wanting to protect your loved ones," Steve told her, shifting closer to her as he spoke, "And because I could see it in your eyes that you truly wanted to keep your nieces safe, but things have changed now. Like you said, this won't be a walk in the park. In a week, we will be entering into the lion's den, and unfortunately that means I'll have to put your life at risk. That's why I asked if you want to go through with this, because once our mission begins there'll be no stopping it."

Steve had moved so close to her that Kailani could feel his warm breath against her face. She could see it in his eyes how serious the situation was, and she felt her insides twist in pain as reality embraced her. She could also see in his eyes that he did not enjoy the idea of having to take her to the gathering because that would make him responsible if any harm was to come her way.

And still, even though the idea of having to go to a meeting where the people who wanted her nieces frightened her beyond belief, Kailani felt alright with the plan. Everyone she knew would be there, and she knew they would protect her. Knowing they would be close to her was enough to calm her spirit, and knowing that Steve would be by her side smoothed her nerves completely.

"Kono's already checking the guests' list." Steve continued, his voice dropping a bit more, and Kailani unconsciously bit her lower lip as she continued staring at him in the eye. "We'll know each and every person who will be there, and if anything happens, I will be there to protect you."

"I know..." Kailani whispered back, and she tried her best to smile at him. "And I know our training will be worse from now on, but I'm ready. I told you; even if they do get me, I won't let them take me without a fight. I have to make my private instructor proud after all."

A ghost of a smirk appeared on Steve's face, and Kailani felt her heart flutter at that. Smiling faintly back at him, she put a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I guess this means the party is about to start, right?" she asked, and Steve nodded at that.

"Yeah, the game's on."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Note: **_Palapala kono_ means _invitation_.

* * *

**Q.: **Why do you mention Catherine in the summary when she hasn't even appeared on the story? That makes no sense whatsoever!  
**A.: **Yes, I know Catherine hasn't appeared…yet. But she will, and once she does, you will understand why her name appears on the summary. Until then, please, be patient. Thank you for your understanding.


	7. A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia

**Disclaimer: **_Maresia Eterna _owns nothing except the Original Characters and the plot.

**Authoress' Note:** I want to thank _**Unreal Wanderers **_and _**francis2**_ for your support. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

**Chapter VII  
**A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia

"C'mon, another twenty, and we'll start with the sit ups!"

Kailani had to bit her lip to stop herself from groaning out loud as she tried to finish her push-ups. Her training had begun after they had dropped Sango and Sora at school. Steve, being the lovely instructor that he was, had started that day's training with swimming, and afterwards she had run around the back of his house for half an hour. Since he still refused to go jogging, Kailani had to do everything either in the water or in the sand.

"Control your breathing!" Steve told her as he walked around her, eyes narrowed in concentration. It was not rare for him to participate in the same exercises as her, but on their third day, he had decided to observe her movements. He had already corrected her posture twice, but Kailani knew he would soon scold her again.

Danny had actually said she was crazy for willingly joining 'Sgt. Slaughter's Boot Camp', and after three days under Steve's care, Kailani could not help but agree. She now knew why Danny refused to do anything related to exercise with his partner, preferring to do things his way. However, it was also true that Kailani knew she needed to go through with this; her nieces' depended on her, and she was not going to disappoint them.

"Ten left!"

Jaw clenched tight, Kailani tried to ignore the pain in her whole body, and forced her arms to move. Suddenly, Steve crouched in front of her, a frown on his face, and Kailani inwardly prepared herself for another lecture.

"Anyone home?"

Kailani felt all strength abandon her body at the unfamiliar female voice. Steve stood up as soon as the voice broke the silence, and twirled around just as fast. Wincing, Kailani stopped her push-ups, and sat on her knees. Sweat covered her whole skin, making her wish for a long and warm bath.

"Cath!"

Steve's exclamation made Kailani raise her head in time to see Steve running to the side of the house. She watched as he stopped in front of a woman, and she felt her heart squeeze when he smiled fondly at the newcomer. Kailani knew who that was; she might not have a name yet, but Kailani still knew who that was. That was the woman who carried Steve's heart in her hands, and she was beautiful.

Looking away as Steve and the woman started talking Kailani stood up, and turned around so that she was facing the ocean. After swimming, Steve had given her time to put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt so that she could do the circuit training more at ease. Now, she wished she was clad in nothing but her swimming suit so that she could simply plunge into the water, and forget how her heart had suddenly become so heavy.

As the wind blew, Kailani took a deep breath, and tried to stop thinking about nonsense. She had always known that Steve was there to watch over her and her nieces as well as the rest of his team. To think about him as anything but that was childish and stupid. She had to put an end to it before it became too serious.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, Kailani snapped from her thoughts, and looked over her shoulder. Much for her surprise, Steve was standing less than one-arm length away from her, completely alone. Any traces of the smile that had once graced his features were gone, and had been replaced by a serious mask.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"W-What?"

"Who told you to stop?" Steve asked, arms on his hips, eyes locked with hers.

"No one, I just thought..." Kailani could not help, but feel her heart drop as she pondered about the words she was going to say next, "I just thought that since you had a visitor, I could have...a few minutes for myself."

"Well, you thought wrong. If anything, you should have continued with your training." Steve told her sternly, and Kailani looked away.

"Yes, sir..." Kailani said before walking around Steve and return to the spot where she had been doing the push-ups. Sitting down, Kailani took a deep breath, and lay down on her stomach. "Ten more push-ups, right?"

"Yes." came Steve's short response from behind her, and Kailani started lowering her torso only to raise it at Steve's command. That continued until she reached the tenth push-up, and once Steve told her to stop, Kailani dropped her head as she rested her forearms on the ground as well as her knees.

Straightening up, Kailani was about to look over her shoulder when Steve appeared by her side. A serious look was written all over his face, his eyes taking in every emotion that were reflecting in hers. Inwardly, Kailani cursed the way her heart skipped a beat as she tried to keep a straight face. She had tried hard, really hard, to keep her eyes focused on his face. Even when he had pulled a t-shirt over his head, covering his torso, she had struggled to not look at anything below his neck, but that man was just too handsome for his own good.

"I think it's time we take a break."

"Huh?" was Kailani's bright response, and Steve rested his hands on his hips.

"It's time for lunch." he said as if that explained everything, but Kailani still did not move. Steve started walking in direction of the house, leaving Kailani to gather her thoughts. "Hey, are you waiting for me to change my mind?"

Looking over her shoulder, Kailani noticed that Steve was standing by the door. Immediately, she stood up, dusting her clothes as she went after him. Walking through the door, Kailani walked past Steve's office, and followed him into the kitchen. That was not her first time in his kitchen; in the past couple of days they had spent most of their time training, which meant they had to use the house.

"Do you want to take a shower?" Steve asked as he made his way towards the fridge, and Kailani shook her head.

"There's no need, but you can go. Danny told me you actually take showers in three minutes so I can start preparing lunch while you go."

"Danny told you that?" Steve asked as he opened the door of the fridge, and when Kailani nodded, he continued. "Well, let me tell you that three minutes is a luxury. We had less than three minutes back in the military. Beer?"

"No, thank you." Kailani refused when Steve showed her a beer, and he closed the door of the fridge, keeping the beer for himself. As she watched Steve taking a long sip of his cold drink, Kailani started playing with her fingers, looking down at her hands as she did so. She struggled to keep both her curiosity and nervousness under control, but Steve quickly noticed her condition, and turned to her again.

"You want to know who the visitor was."

Damn him, and his ability to read her like an open book!

"That's none of my business..." Kailani tried to say, and the smirk that appeared on Steve's face almost caused her to melt right there on the spot.

"Still, you're dying to know, aren't you?"

"You truly seem to think your sexy smirk will take you everywhere." Kailani said as Steve was about to take another sip. Freezing halfway, Steve's eyes met hers, and the smirk on his face increased tenfold.

"Wait; did you just praise me?" he asked, and Kailani rolled her eyes. Desperate to try to conceal her reddening cheeks, she made her way towards the kitchen-cabinets, and started searching for a glass. Before she could open the second cabinet, however, Steve appeared next to her, and opened it for her.

"Only you to take that as a compliment," Kailani told him as he handed her a glass, and she did not think twice about filling it with water. Her mouth was too dry for her linking. Steve, on the other hand, leaned against the counter next to her, beer in hand, still smirking. Taking a long sip of water, Kailani turned to him, trying to ignore their closeness. "What?"

"I've just realized I haven't asked you about something." he said, and Kailani raised an eyebrow at that. "You haven't told your parents about what's going on. Isn't there anyone else that you should contact? I mean, this is yakuza we're talking about."

"I don't want to worry my mother with this, and the answer to the second question is no, there's no one else I should tell about what's going on."Kailani told him as she pointed a finger at him, "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe you're not the only one who's curious about something."

"Well, the answer's no."

"I don't believe it."

"You may not believe it, but it's the truth." Kailani responded as she put the glass down, and crossed her arms against her chest. "Why are you so interested in my love life anyway?"

"Who said I was referring to your love life?" Steve asked, and Kailani felt her stomach churn in uneasiness when he tried to look innocent. Who would have thought that a former Navy SEAL could actually look adorable?

"Really? If you think about how this conversation started, it's pretty obvious." Kailani stated, but inside she was yelling at herself. What on earth was she doing? Here was a man, a very hot and very betrothed man, who she was actually trying to flirt with. She had never, ever, dreamed about doing such thing, and yet there she was, playing his game.

She was so doomed. Why on earth did he have to have such an irritating yet irresistible charm?

"Well, if you analyze your current situation, that's probably for the best."

"That coming from the guy who let his girlfriend leave because he wanted to continue with the circuit training."

"She understands it. She knows how my job works. Besides, I'm meeting her later." Steve told her as he finished his drink. Turning to the sink, Kailani put the empty glass down. "At least you don't have to explain anything to anyone."

"Yes, because my other half would be thrilled to know I have such a hot man as my private instructor."

As soon as those words left her lips, Kailani felt her whole face burn, and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop Steve from seeing her reddening cheeks. He had such a smug look on his face that all she wanted was to figure out a way to make it disappear. Instead, all she could do was to stare at him, hoping he could not see the horrifying sensation that had sprung from the bottom of her stomach.

Unfortunately, she had no such luck...

"You seem to have taken the day to praise me."

"And you seem to have taken the day to annoy me."

Heavens, she _was_ flirting with him.

Taking a deep breath, Kailani forced herself to look away from Steve's penetrating gaze. In an attempt to keep her cool, she stared down at the glass she had placed on the sink. The warmth that was emanating from Steve's body was almost as distracting as his stare.

"C'mon Spartan, it's time to continue with the training." she managed to say, turning around as she spoke, not wanting to look at Steve in the eye. She needed to get a grip on herself, before everything went down the drain. She knew Steve was a professional, and that as such he would not allow for her infatuation to grow any deeper nor to get in the way of their plan. She also knew that was the right way to think; that was not the time to start developing feelings for anyone.

She just needed to force her heart to understand that.

Kailani had been just about to walk out of the kitchen when Steve's cell-phone started ringing. Stopping dead on her tracks, she looked over her shoulder in time to see Steve answering the call.

"McGarrett," as he listened to the person on the other side of the line, Steve's eyes met hers, and Kailani knew her training was over for the day. "We'll be right there."

Without breaking the eye-contact, Steve ended the call, and put the cell-phone away.

"Kono's got a lead. Let's go."

* * *

"So, I managed to track down the man who dropped the envelope at the hospital," Kono started when Steve and Kailani approached the table. Chin and Danny were also there, waiting for the impending information. "And you guys won't believe this."

With a simple click, a photo appeared on the screen. It had been taken from the airport's surveillance footage. With another click, a second photo appeared, from the same man, this time at the hospital's reception area.

"Does anyone want to guess who this is?"

"Just tell us." Steve ordered, and Kono nodded. Reaching out for the computer, she show them the scan of a driver's license. The moment of silence that followed proved that everyone had understood the connection between the three photos.

"Well, since no one seems to want to state the obvious, I'll do it." Danny spoke up after a short period of silence, and then he clasped his hands together before pointing at the screen. "That's Enishi Hajime."

"Yes, and he has been around long enough to know Kailani's every move." Chin stated as he continued staring at the screen, and Kailani felt her heart tighten at those words. Her eyes, however, were also on the screen, taking in each and every line of the face of the man that was following her.

"So, he's the one who paid the guys and sent the invitation. What do you think that means?" Danny asked, crossing his arms against his chest, and Steve clenched his jaw tight before speaking.

"This is bait, they want to get to the girls, but they know they can't do it with us around."

"And that lead them to invite Kailani to a party?" Danny asked, and when Steve turned to him, he continued. "I mean, it makes perfect sense; nothing sounds more life threaten than asking a woman to dance. It's a torture beyond belief. Why didn't you think about using it before when interrogating our suspects? It's a shame the bad guys always have the coolest ideas."

"Actually, there's more." Kono interrupted them, and when everyone turned to her, she started typing again. "I tracked down the address on the invitation card. The house belongs to Tomoe Himura, and you guys won't believe who's in the guests' list."

As she finished speaking, Kono transferred another photo to the screen, and the silence increased tenfold. A very familiar face was looking back at them, and Steve turned to Kono.

"What's this?"

"Trust me; I was as shocked as you are." Kono told him as she turned to her boss, "I couldn't believe at first either."

Without even blinking, Steve reached out for his cell-phone, and made his way to his office. Kailani looked away from the photo at the screen to gaze at Danny, who looked back at her.

"This certainly is shocking, to say the least." he said, not only to her, but to his teammates as well. "We were definitely not expecting for Governor Denning's to be amongst the guests. Are you sure this is a legit list?"

"You're kidding, right?" Kono asked as Steve's voice echoed from his office even though he had closed the door behind him when he had walked inside. "Trust me, I was very thorough, there's no way this is a mistake. The Governor will be there, and so are we."

"What connection can he possibly have with the yakuza?" Danny asked, and Chin turned to him as he sighed.

"We'll find the answer to that question in two days." he said at same time Steve pushed the door of his office wide open, and everyone turned to him. At the look on his boss' face, Chin added, "Or maybe we'll find out now."

"So, what did the Governor tell you?" Danny asked as Steve reached his side, hands resting on his hips. Frowning, Steve turned to Kono.

"What do you know about Tomoe Himura?" he asked, and Kono started typing on the keyboard at same time she spoke up.

"I just started checking her background."

"Well, let me help you with that," Steve said, surprising everyone, "She's Saito Takahashi's wife."

"Saito Takahashi?" Chin repeated, disbelief written all over his face "As in Saito Takahashi, the leader of the Takahashi-kai? How's that possible?"

"Apparently the Governor and Saito are good old friends. They met when the Governor when to Japan a long time ago. Apparently Saito saved his life." Steve commented, and everyone blinked at that. "Also, the Governor says there's no way Saito would attack anyone, much less children. He's a very honorable man, who lives his life by applying a very strict code of honor."

"Does he carry a sword too?" Danny asked all of a sudden, shattering the tension that had grown inside the office. Steve immediately turned to him.

"It's not a sword, it's called _katana_. Also, if Saito's such an honorable man as the Governor says he is, then why hasn't he come forth?"

"It's called _katana_..." Danny mimicked Steve's tone before rolling his eyes, "It's still a sword, you know? Doesn't matter what you call it, it can cut and kill you the same way as any other sword. Also, maybe he hasn't come forth because he knows you exist, and therefore knows how charming you are, and decided to keep his distance."

"He's the leader of a yakuza clan. One former Navy SEAL alone isn't enough to scare him." Steve promptly responded, and Danny widened his eyes in fake surprise at that.

"What was that? Are you saying an old man of all people isn't afraid of our own personal Rambo?"

"All I'm saying is that he's cautious." Steve told his partner rather firmly, "So far he has managed to keep his presence in Hawaii unknown. He probably came here on a private jet, which will explain why the airport's footage didn't work when Kono tried to find him."

"I think that leaves us with two big questions." Chin started, crossing his arms against his chest. "One; if Saito happens to not be the one who's chasing the girls, who is? And secondly; what are you going to do about the gathering?"

"We're all going to the party." Steve immediately answered, "It will be like our first mission. We all went there, and it worked very well."

"Oh yeah, I remember that one; you were James Bond, and I was a waiter." Danny commented as he pointed at his partner, "We also ended the night shooting the bad guys, and sending many people straight to the hospital."

"It was a good first mission." Kono said with a short nod, a small smile on her face. Then, she turned to Kailani. "However, going to this gathering means you need formal clothes. Do you have anything you can wear for the meeting?"

"Hmm... Define formal."

"Oh boy..." Danny mumbled when Kono smiled widely at Kailani's hesitant response. "You girls are going shopping, aren't you?"

"I'd love too, but unfortunately I still need to make sure my name appears on the staff's list, and I have to help Chin prepare everything in the truck." Kono informed him, "Which also means that Chin has to stay with me, and I think the boss..."

"...I have to go meet someone." Steve finished her sentence, a knowing smile on his face. Then, every member of Five-0 turned to Danny. "I'm pretty sure you know what that means; right Danno?"

"Oh no! No way!" Danny exclaimed as he shook his head, "There's no way I'm going to be seen even close to the premises of women's dresses shops. Sorry, I'm not doing it!"

"Actually, that's not the end of your nightmare." Steve commented, and when Danny looked at him, he had to stop himself from smirking. "You're not only going to a gown shop with Kailani, here. You're actually going with Kailani, Gracie, Sango and Sora."

"Shoot me now..."

Half an hour later, Danny and Kailani were making their way to the girls' school. While Kailani kept her eyes fixed on the window next to her, Danny continued to ramble about how unlucky he was about having to go shopping with four girls. Not even the fact that meant spending more time with Grace seemed to improve his humor.

"I'm really sorry you have to do this." Kailani said, interrupting Danny's rant, and he glanced sideways at her.

"What? Driving myself to a shop full of clothes with three girls who will feel like they're on Wonderland?"

"Well, if it's of any consolation, I think I'm in a worse situation than you." Kailani said, and this time Danny did turn his head to look at her. "We're going shopping for a dress with three nine years-old girls. I'll be lucky if I don't end up looking like Mulan or Belle."

"Mulan or Belle?"

"Sango and Sora's favorite Disney princesses," Kailani explained with a chuckle, "Sango loves Mulan's strong attitude, and Sora just loves Belle's determination. So, I'll probably end up either in a bright yellow gown, or in Chinese attire."

"If you throw in Grace's fondness for Harry Potter..."

"I don't think a Hogwarts' uniform will be appropriated for any occasion whatsoever." Kailani interrupted his line of thought, and Danny smirked at that.

"No, but it would certainly make a few heads turn." he said, eyes focused on the road. "I'm sure your boyfriend would like it."

"Funny, Spartan and I had a similar conversation today."

"You talked to Steve about you wearing a school's uniform?" Danny asked, surprise written all over his face. "Heavens please tell me he wasn't the one who came up with that idea or I'll never be able to look at him the same way again."

"You really have a wide imagination."

"What? You're the one who mentioned it!" Danny exclaimed, defensively, and Kailani felt the corners of her lips curling upwards into a smile. "Or maybe you were saying you talked to Steve about your boyfriend, but that would be a really traumatizing experience. That man has no romantic fiber in his whole being; who knows why Catherine's still with him."

"Jealous much?"

"Oh please, at least I know how to court a woman. All he does is to throw guys into shark tanks or hanging them off roofs." Danny scoffed at the idea, and Kailani's smile widened at that. "Please, tell me you're not into that sort of men."

"What would Gabrielle say if she found out you actually asked me that?" Kailani asked with a teasing smile, but Danny simply shrugged nonchalantly at that.

"It's an innocent question."

"It's a nosy question."

"Look at who has gotten all defensive now."

"It's an innocent observation."

"You're definitely avoiding my question, and I'd like to know why." Danny said as he turned his face to look at her, "Unfortunately, we've just arrived, which means we'll have to continue this conversation later."

Kailani smiled faintly at that, and Danny parked the car in front of the school's main entrance. Opening the door, Kailani walked out of the car, and looked around. Children were already walking through the doors, some walking away on the own while others ran to their parents. The whole place seemed to emanate a sense of security that Kailani appreciated; with everything that was happening; she wished her nieces were safe the whole time.

"So, shall we continue with our discussion?" Danny asked as he appeared next to her, leaning against the car. Crossing his arms against his chest, he looked away from the school's entrance to look at her. "You're not off the hook yet."

"I've already told you what you wanted to know."

"Actually, you've unsuccessfully managed to avoid the topic." Danny observed with a knowing look on his face. Then, his eyes shifted to something behind Kailani, and his whole body tensed. "Rachel?"

Following his gaze, Kailani saw a woman getting out of a black, quite expensive, car. Then, all of a sudden, Danny walked past her, and made his way towards the woman. Not wanting to stare, Kailani looked in direction of the school's doors. Gradually, thoughts started consuming her mind, and she lost track of time. She remembered Steve's question about not telling her parents about what was going on. The reason for her refusal was quite simple; she did not want to worry her mother, and she certainly did not want her father to come, and turn her life upside down like he had done many times in the past.

"Makaio-san?"

Kailani snapped at the sound of the foreign voice. Turning her head to the side, she found herself staring at an old man. Everything in him screamed Japanese; his facial features, and his clothing. A sense of dread consumed her; he had called her by her surname, but she had no idea who he was. Could it be that he was one of the yakuza? The need to look behind her, and see if Danny had noticed what was going on, almost consumed her, but Kailani forced it down by turning to the old man.

"Yes?"

"May I speak to you for a moment?"

_No_, was the answer that crossed Kailani's mind, but she restrained herself in time. There was something about his gaze that was bizarrely soothing, and it was only because of that that she decided to stay put.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, but I thought it would be easier to speak to you in a public place before meeting you at the gathering."

Kailani's heartbeat increased tenfold at those words. The gathering...could that man be Saito Takahashi? Could he be the man behind the attack at the bookshop café? Thoughts started consuming her mind, but before Kailani could drown in them, the man spoke again.

"_Saru mo ki kara ochiru_ is an old Japanese proverb." he said, his voice gentle, and Kailani forced herself to focus on his voice, "It means even monkeys fall from trees. Anyone can make a mistake, and I surely have done my share. I am here to make amends."

"I'm sorry if I don't believe in you." Kailani said. It was hard to believe he was the leader of a yakuza clan; he seemed to be like those old men everyone wanted to have as a grandfather. Yet his posture was strong, and authority emanated from him.

"I understand your hesitation; I have given you no proof that you can trust me," the man told her with a short nod. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Takahashi Saito. As you might be aware, I am Sango and Sora's great grandfather."

"You were the one who requested for the assault, weren't you?" Kailani asked, her eyes locked with Saito's. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage, and inwardly she wondered how long it would take for Danny to notice who was there with her.

"I shall tell you this; I want no harm to reach you or my great granddaughters." Saito told her, voice strong, eyes unyielding, "_A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia_."

"Aunt Kali!"

Kailani turned her head at the jovial voice, and she saw both Sango and Sora approaching her. Grace was also with them, all of them carrying wide smiled on their faces. Releasing the breath she had unconsciously been holding, Kailani gazed at the spot where Saito was only to notice he was no longer there.

Ignoring the way her nieces kept calling out for her, Kailani looked around her, scanning the area. Blood was pounding against her ears, her palms sweaty as her heart raced. It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped in fright at same time she twirled around.

"Whoa, what's wrong?"

"Danny!" Kailani breathed out, not noticing as the three little girls finally reached them. "He was here!"

"Who was here?"

"Saito..." was Kailani's shaky response, "Saito Takahashi was here."

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Note:** _A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia_.  
Translation: No task is too big when done together.  
Explanation: _United we stand, divided we fall_.


	8. Kama'a 'ole

**Disclaimer: **_Maresia Eterna _owns nothing except the Original Characters and the plot.  
**Authoress' Note:** I want to thank _**LuB1984**_, _**Jean25**_, _**francis2**_ and _**Unreal Wanderers**_. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Mahalo!

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

_Kama'a 'ole_

"You are so irresponsible!"

"I'm irresponsible? How the hell was I irresponsible? I was there, two steps away from her! We were in a public space! How was I supposed to know he'd try to make contact with her in the middle of the street?!"

"You just said it yourself. You were two steps away from her, and he still got close enough to make contact!" Steve scolded his partner as he drove down the road at full speed.

"Why are you yelling at me for? She's okay!" Danny protested, "I also said I was sorry, and this was a mistake I won't do ever again. Getting pissed off at me won't change what happened!"

"I just want you to understand that everything could have gone wrong!" Steve told him, still in a very high voice.

"You think I need you to tell me that?" Danny asked, a solemn expression on his face. "Only I know how I felt when Kailani told me that Saito had been there. I was wrong! I admit that! I just wasn't expecting to see Rachel there, and when I noticed she was there... I just lost it!"

"But you know you shouldn't have lost it! We aren't here to lose it!"

"This coming from the guy who almost got himself killed trying to escape from prison when he couldn't listen to his friends!"

"That's not the same thing!"

"It _is_ the same thing; we both lost it, and we've both learned from our mistakes. Quit rubbing it on my face, Steven!"

A moment of silence followed Danny's outburst, and both partners looked at one another through the corners of their eyes. Looking away at the road, Steve let out a deep sigh.

"Look, this is getting out of hand."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Listen," Steve continued, giving a lot of emphasis to that simple word so that Danny could understand he wanted to talk without interruptions, "I know you were there, and that if something happened, you'd take your gun, and shot the man. I'm thinking about the girls here."

"I know; me too. Grace was there, remember?" Danny asked before throwing his hands in the air, "Hell, even if she wasn't, I'd still care! But I still think we should worry about what the guy said; that he doesn't want to harm Kailani or the twins. What was it that he said again?"

"_A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia_," Steve told him, looking away from the car in front of him for a second. "Translated it means _no task is too big when done together_. Basically he told her that united we stand, divided we fall."

"And what could he mean by that?" Danny asked, and Steve shrugged.

"I have no idea. I think he's trying to make us believe that he represents no threat." he said, "Still, without any solid evidence, we cannot simply take his word regardless of how honorable the Governor says he is. We need proof."

"So, the idea of going to the gathering is still standing?"

"Of course, now more than ever; we have to go to the bottom of this." Steve told him with a nod. All of a sudden he parked the car, and Danny turned to him. As if reading his mind, Steve spoke up at same time he opened the door. "I just need a couple of minutes."

"Oh, I get it..." Danny responded, his voice fading when Steve smirked before getting out of the car. Closing the door behind him, Steve made his way towards the coffee-shop on the other side of the road. She was completely engrossed in the book she was reading, and without thinking twice, Steve approached her from behind.

"What are you reading?" he asked as he rested his hands on her shoulders, and a pair of brown eyes turned to him. A white smile greeted him as she put the book down, on top of her crossed legs.

"Hey there, Sailor." she greeted him, and Steve walked past her, dropping his hands as he did. Pushing the chair next to her backwards, he sat down, a smug look on his face.

"Sorry I'm late."

"That's alright, I came prepared." Catherine told him as she raised the book slightly in the air before she closed it, and put it on top of the table. Then, she motioned a hand towards the two beverages that were also on the table. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already asked for our drinks."

"Beer is always welcomed." Steve told her with a nod, and he reached out for the bottle closest to him. Taking a sip, he smiled at Catherine. "So, how long are you planning on staying this time?"

"Enough for us to finally have our dinner," Catherine told him as she also reached out for her own drink. "Unless, of course, you're too busy taking other women back to your place."

"I've told you; that's work. We've been assigned to watch over her and her nieces." Steve told her, resting an arm on the table as he spoke. "I can't risk taking her to crowded places. One of the bad guys succeeded in making contact, and I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"You've always had a thing for saving people." Catherine commented as she played with her drink. "Unfortunately, that also means I have to get used to certain things I'm not at all okay with it. What's going on with her?"

"Yakuza."

"Oh, you definitely know how to pick your enemies." Catherine said as she straightened up on her chair. "Is that why you've decided to train her? Do you honestly believe a civilian will be able to stand against an organization as dangerous as the yakuza?"

"Not at all, but she asked me to train her. Apparently, she has some knowledge about hand-to-hand combat, and she asked me to help her with that." Steve explained, and a smirk appeared on his face. "Still, you've got nothing to worry about. It's just work."

"Who said I was worried?"

"Oh, I don't know; maybe the hint of jealousy in your voice?"

"You're so full of yourself, Sailor." Catherine answered, and Steve's smirk widened at that. "So, when do you think this mission of yours will be over?"

"Why, you're missing me already?"

"Someone offered to pay me dinner. I'm just here to collect." Catherine responded, a smile playing on her lips. "I just want to make sure you don't forget your offer."

"Have I ever forgotten anything related to us?"

"Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

"Fine, let's have dinner tonight." Steve told her as he crossed his arms on the table, his eyes locked with Catherine's. Her smile widened just a little bit at that invitation only to turn into laughter when nothing else was added. She had a captivating smile. "What do you say?"

"What about your mission?" Catherine inquired as she leaned against the back of her chair. "I thought you didn't like mixing work with pleasure."

"Then, we can skip dinner..." Steve told her, and Catherine laughed again. Then, she tilted her head to the side, and nodded.

"Fine, let's have dinner. You're paying."

"I'll call you."

"I'm sure you will."

Smiling widely at her, Steve stood up from his seat. Reaching out for his drink, he took one last sip before putting it down. Then, he turned to Catherine again.

"Casual clothing will suffice. I have the feeling we won't go far."

"You are incorrigible."

Smirking at that, Steve turned around, and made his way towards the car. Not surprisingly, Danny was outside, his back leaned against the side of the car, arms crossed. A strange expression was on his face.

"Let me guess; you asked her out." Danny asked, though it had come out like a statement, and Steve walked around the car, towards the driver's side. "Wait, that came out wrong, let me rephrase that. Tell me you _didn't_ ask her out."

"Why shouldn't I have asked her out?"

"Well, I don't know, let me see..." Danny turned around, and pretended to think. "Maybe because we have a mission in our hands, which came with three very interesting extras: a woman and twins! And then there's the yakuza. Did I mention there're yakuza clans after the woman and the twins? I'm pretty sure I did..."

"It's just dinner." Steve interrupted him as he sat down on the driver's seat, and Danny immediately sat down as well before closing the door. Then, he turned to his partner, finger pointing upwards.

"It's never just a dinner, my friend, and you and I both know it," he said, "Trust me, I have no interest in knowing about your love life, but this is something even a blind man could see. Your sense of timing sucks! How can you be thinking about a date when we're in the middle of a mission?"

"Tonight's Kono's turn to watch over them," Steve told him, glancing at Danny as he started the car. "What I do during my spare time is my business, and I don't need you to remind me of what's going on."

"I really don't get you sometimes." Danny confessed, dropping his hand as he leaned against his seat. "Whatever, go on your date. I'll make sure not to call you if anything happens, but I'll certainly annoy the crap out of you if something does end up happening."

"Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood."

"Really? Because it does seem that you're in a bad mood. What's going on?" Steve asked, and Danny let out a deep sigh before looking through the window next to him."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Does it have anything to do with Rachel being at school?"

Steve's cell-phone decided to ring on that same moment, saving Danny from having to answer. Glancing one last time at his partner, Steve looked down at his cell-phone, and answered the call. Chin's voice emerged from the other side of the line.

"_Just wanted to let you know we've already added Kono to the staff's list." _

"Did Kono drive Kailani and the girls to the hotel?"

"_She did. Everything's ready for you to go to the party."_

"Wait, I thought Kailani still needed to go buy the dress." Danny spoke up all of a sudden, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "I mean, with the whole Saito thing the last thing in our minds was to go shopping."

"_Kono already took care of that. We know you have your training."_

"Good, because I wouldn't dismiss her to go shopping," Steve interrupted Chin as he kept his eyes on the road.

"_Trust me, brah, Kono already took care of everything."_

"Now that's something I wanna see." Danny joked, and Steve also smirked at that, "Anything else?"

"_Everything's ready. In two day, we'll finally enter into the lion's den."_ Chin told them, and Steve nodded at that. _"We already know Saito Takahashi is at his wife's house. No point in risking going in there when we were kindly invited to go there."_

"Now all we have to do is to wait," Danny agreed as he looked at Steve, who looked back at him. "Now we wait..."

* * *

"Aunt Kali..."

Kailani looked up from the plate she was preparing for Sora, and focused her attention on the oldest of the twins. Kono was also occupying a seat at the table, filling a glass with juice, and she also looked up at the timid voice.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, sweetie, why do you ask?" Kailani asked, looking down for a moment as she settled the plate in front of Sora. Then, she focused her attention on Sango again. She was playing with her cast, looking rather nervous. Sharing a glance with Kono, Kailani stood up from her seat, and made her way to Sango's side, resting a hand on her good arm as she did. "What's wrong?"

"Aunt Kali..." Sango repeated, finally raising her orbs to gaze at her aunt. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

Kailani crouched down on her knees at the question, her fingers never leaving Sango's arm. It was rare to see her niece like that; while Sora could easily overlook a tense situation, Sango seemed to take in every detail, always pondering about what could be going on. Another difference between the twins was that while Sora wasted no time in asking questions, Sango digested her thoughts before saying something.

"I saw the old man talking to you at the school..." Sango whispered, and Kailani almost did not hear the little girl's comment. "You always told us never to talk to strangers, and you were doing it... Does that man...is that man an evil man?"

Kailani had to restrain herself from glancing at Kono, to see the look on the officer's face. Instead, she shifted closer to the chair Sango was occupying, fully aware that Sora was also watching her. However, before she could say something, Sango continued.

"Is that why Uncle Steve and Aunt Kono are always here with us?"

"Oh honey, you don't have to worry about that old man," Kailani told her in a calm voice, and she gently squeezed Sango's arm. "He was lost, and he came to me to ask if I could help him. You're right; you should never talk to strangers, but I'm a little older so it's understandable that some people approach me to ask for directions."

"Are you sure?" Sango asked, still staring at her with a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, and Kailani smiled reassuringly at her. Raising her hand, she ruffled Sango's hair before glancing at Sora, and wink at her.

"Do you girls remember what Uncle Steve is?" she asked, and a wide smile graced Sora's face as she answered.

"He's Super Spartan!"

"And do you know what Aunt Kono, Uncle Chin and Uncle Danny are?"

"…Sidekicks?" Sango ventured to say, and Kono had to stop herself from laughing at the answer. Danny would most definitely go crazy if he knew he was seen as a sidekick while their boss was the super hero.

"They are super heroes too! All of them!" Kailani told her, "And that's why I don't want you - neither of you - to worry about anything. Everything's fine and we have a whole bunch of super heroes to protect us all the time."

"And as a proof of that, I've brought something I think you girls might enjoy." Kono spoke up, smiling widely as she looked at the twins. "What do you girls say if we play a fashion game before you go to bed? You see, your aunt has to go to a meeting with us, super heroes, and she needs a dress. Sadly, she told us she didn't have any, but what she doesn't know is that I managed to find one."

"Oh no, you didn't..." Kailani tried to say, but it was already too late. Both Sango and Sora immediately turned to Kono, asking all sort of questions at same time. Shaking her head, she met Kono's eyes, and mouthed a thank you. Smiling back, Kono proceeded answering to all the questions the twins were throwing at her.

At least the tensed moment was gone.

One hour later, Kailani was staring at herself in the mirror, wearing a dress that was absolutely breathtaking. She did not know how Kono had found out her measures; not even the length of the skirt needed to be fixed. Instead, it flowed down her legs, caressing her knees. The color was beautiful, and for a moment Kailani just concentrated all of her attention on the woman that was looking back at her. Kono had been more than nice, and had done more than necessary, so the least she could do was to wear the dress without complaining about anything.

Taking a deep breath, and smoothing the dress with her hands although it was already impeccable, Kailani made her way out of the bathroom. Sango and Sora, who were sitting on the couch, already in their pajamas looked up when they heard her. Kono also looked away from the window, and turned to her.

"So, what do you guys think?" Kailani asked as she twirled around, showing off her dress. Then, she gazed at Kono. "Thank you so much. I'll pay you back."

"Oh, trust me, you don't have to worry about that." Kono laughed as she waved a hand in front of her face. "Besides, you look beautiful. I'm sure you and the boss will make quite the impression. Just so you know, the first time the boss and Danny went to a gathering, Danny told the boss he looked like James Bond."

"Sadly I'm not a Bond Girl..."

"You're going with Uncle Steve?" Sora widened her eyes at that, "Wow! Lucky!"

"Lucky? Why's that?" Kailani asked, and Sora covered her mouth as she let out a sudden fit of giggles.

"Uncle Steve is cute!" Sango answered for her sister, and Kailani blinked at that not really expecting such a comment. "And you look cute too!"

"Well, I didn't know you had such a high opinion of him." Kailani confessed, her eyes glancing at Kono, who looked as if she was having a hard time controlling her own will to laugh. "I better go take this dress off now. You need to go to bed."

"Aw, do we have to?" both girls whined, and Kailani smiled faintly at their antics.

"Yes, you have to." she told them, and Kono stepped away from the bed, smiling as she did.

"I'll make sure they brush their teeth while you're changing." she told Kailani, who nodded in appreciation. Quickly, she went to the bedroom, and stripped off the dress, putting it gently inside her closet. Then, dressing into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she returned to the living-room.

"C'mon girls, time to go to bed." Kailani said as she peeked inside the bathroom, her nieces still brushing their teeth under Kono's attentive gaze. "I hope you did all of your homework."

"We did, Aunt Kali!" both Sango and Sora answered as they cleaned their mouths, and then they showed her their white smiles. "Can you read us a story?"

"Oh no. Not tonight. It's already quite late. You chose the fashion game, remember? So, no bedtime reading tonight." Kailani told them as she shook her head, and she had to restrain herself from smiling when the twins looked at her with puppy eyes. "C'mon, tomorrow I'll read you a story."

"Can you read _Beauty and the Beast_ tomorrow?" Sora asked as she followed Kailani towards the bedroom, "You read _Mulan_ yesterday."

"Well, Mulan is cool!"

"Belle is cool too!"

"Well, I like Pocahontas." Kono stepped in, surprising everyone with her statement. When the twins looked at her, she chuckled. "Well, I might be a super heroine, but I was once a little girl too, and you have no idea how many times I asked my cousin Chin to read that story to me. I think he knows it backwards by now."

"Oh, maybe you could read the story about Pocahontas tomorrow!" Sango excitedly exclaimed, her widened eyes focused on Kailani.

"Just get in bed, Disney princesses." Kailani told her nieces as they walked inside the bedroom. Without having to be told twice, the girls jumped to the mattress, and hurried to get underneath the covers. "Now, behave, and no talking. I'm going to the living-room with Aunt Kono."

As she spoke, Kailani pulled the covers up Sora's neck before doing the same to Sango. Then, she leaned down to kiss her nieces on the forehead, caressing the top of the heads as she whispered good night. Turning the light off, Kailani went to Kono's side, and both of them exited the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"Would you like something to drink?" Kailani asked, and Kono shook her head. Wordlessly, the two women sat down on the couch.

"No, but I'd like to ask you something." Kono started in a low voice, and Kailani nodded. "Are you sure you want to go ahead with this? Don't take me wrong for asking this, but you're a civilian, and this is no easy task. It will require a lot from you."

"I know this won't be easy," Kailani agreed, "I also know that I'll be terrified - heck, I'm terrified right now - but I try to stay calm by remembering that all of you will be there. I like to think that if things get too rough, you will all be there, and that if something ends up happening to me, you'll watch over Sango and Sora."

"Why haven't you told your parents about what's going on?"

"You know, Steve has asked me the same thing." Kailani said with a small smile playing on her lips, but it faded away as a serious mask appeared on her face. "I don't want to worry my mother. Trust me, if she knew what was going on, she'd come here on the first plane, and she'd try to deal with the yakuza herself."

"And your father?" Kono inquired, tilted her head to the side, and Kailani hesitated for a moment.

"My father is a very complicated man." she began, each word coming out slowly as she pondered about them, "He's a consummate organizer, disciplined and demanding. He always expected the best of his children, and always had the last word. My brother knew how to handle him, I never got the touch. When he found out I was coming to Hawaii..."

Kailani trailed off, and took a deep breath. A sad smile appeared on her lips as she met Kono's eyes. Leaning her arms against her legs, she shrugged.

"He was the one who choose the girls' school." she said, "He was not at all happy with my decision; he inclusively sent me his famous Special Agent glare, and tried to change my mind, but when I refused... Well, he didn't ask for it, and maybe I did wrong by letting him do it, but I told him to choose the school. I wanted to show him that even though we wouldn't be with him, I wasn't cutting him off of our lives."

"Why do you think he chose Academy of the Sacred Hearts?"

"I think he's friends with the director." Kailani answered, "But my father and I never had a close relationship, and we never saw eye to eye. I don't think we ever had a serious conversation apart from the one when I had to tell him I was coming to Hawaii. That's why I don't want to tell him. I know he loves his granddaughters, but I also know he's too possessive. You should've had seen him when they had the accident; he would've locked them inside our house if my mother hadn't stepped in. And I know that if he knew about the yakuza...he would do something crazy."

"Have you told Steve about this?" Kono asked, "It's important that we know everything."

"I didn't talk to him about my father," Kailani confessed after a moment in silence, "It's a rather uncomfortable subject for me, but I guess I should tell him."

"Unless you want me to do it..." Kono offered, and Kailani shook her head. Letting out a deep breath, she straightened up her back, but kept her clasped hands on her lap.

"No, I'll do it."

"Well, one thing is for certain," Kono started, and Kailani stared at her. Smiling, Kono reached out for her hand, and squeezed it, "We're all here for you."

* * *

For the first time since had joined 'Sgt. Slaughter's Boot Camp', Kailani was actually having fun. After an hour swimming, and another doing exercises related to the circuit training, they had started with some self-defense moves. At least all classes she had had during her youth were finally paying off. Sure, she was still rusty, _very_ rusty, but Steve was not taking it easy on her just like he had not cut her any slack during the whole week.

"I want to see a roundhouse kick!" Steve ordered, and Kailani did what he was told. "Now I'm going to attack you! You must defend yourself from all possible hits, and also anticipate my moves!"

As soon as he finished talking, he attacked, and Kailani felt her breath get caught on her throat. She managed to dodge the first two moves, but she failed to predict the third one. Not attacking Steve with a low kick when he attacked her with a high roundhouse kick caused her to be hit on her arm, and thrown to the ground.

Well, she indubitably would have scratches and bruises to show at the party.

"I told you to stay focused." Steve scolded her as he made his way to her, and raised a hand. Kailani sat down on the ground before inspecting her arm. "C'mon, let's go for another round, and try not to fall down this time. I won't go easy on you, and if you don't want to get bruised, you better start paying attention."

"Yes, sir," Kailani responded, raising her orbs to look at Steve in the eye. Resting both her hands on the ground, she got ready to stand up when a thought crossed her mind. Observing Steve's position, she felt the corner of her lips curling upwards. Then, without thinking twice, she raised her left knee, and swept her right leg across the ground, aiming for Steve's shins.

Unfortunately, Steve anticipated her action, and jumped out of reach. A mild look of surprise appeared on his face, and Kailani took the opportunity to stand up, and raise her hands in the air. A smirk appeared on Steve's face as he observed her stance.

"Now we're going somewhere." he said, and Kailani smiled back at him.

"Well, I can't leave my instructor think badly of me, now, can I?" she asked, jumping backwards when Steve tried to attack her with a front snap kick. Without thinking twice, Kailani raised a fist, and tried to deliver a power-punch, which Steve effectively avoided.

Their dance continued for one minute, and Kailani was succeeding in avoiding most attacks. Regrettably, when she thought that she was finally getting used to the training, Steve surprised her. An unforeseen butterfly kick made Kailani lose her balance, and fall backwards. Throwing her arms in the air, she prepared herself to feel the ground. What she had not expected was to feel five fingers wrap around her wrist as Steve tried to prevent her fall.

His help did not go as planned, though.

Yelping as she fell on her back, Kailani felt the air being knocked out of her lungs. She could feel an unfamiliar weight on top of her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Steve hovering over her. His right knee was resting on the ground, next to her left leg, his left knee up on her other side. She could feel him stranding her, his hand still wrapped around her wrist.

Her breathing ability ceased for a couple of seconds as they continued staring at one another.

"You okay?" Steve asked as he roamed his eyes through her torso, and Kailani had to stop herself from going red. Nodding, she felt his weight disappear, and he let go off her wrist only to put his hand in front of her. This time, she accepted his help, and Steve easily pushed her upwards.

"Thanks..." Kailani thanked as she dusted her clothes, trying not to make eye contact. Unfortunately, Steve did not seem to notice her discomfort, and rested a hand on her arm, forcing her to raise her head.

"You sure nothing's broken? That was a bad fall."

"Yes, I'm fine." Kailani reassured him with a nod, a smile playing on her lips. "Can't say I won't be black and blue tomorrow, but it's fine. No broken bones, so it's all good."

"Good, I wouldn't enjoy a trip to the hospital right now." Steve said, dropping his hand. "Olina would have my head."

"Maybe..." Kailani laughed at the look on his face, and then she pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "But you don't have to worry about it. I'm okay."

"Alright, I guess this is the perfect time for a beer. What do you say?" Steve asked, hands on his hips, and Kailani smiled at that.

"Water sounds great!"

"You know, I sure don't get it why you don't like beer." Steve told her as they made his way towards his house. "Also, stay here at the _lanai_. I'll go grab a beer for me, and a bottle of water for you."

Nodding at that, Kailani made her way towards a chair while Steve went inside the house. As she leaned against the back of the chair, Kailani looked at the ocean ahead of her, and closed her eyes. She loved the sound of the waves as they crashed onto the sand, and for a split of a second she thought about how good it would be to feel the affectionate water play with her bare feet.

"Here you go!"

Opening her eyes, Kailani looked to her side, and saw Steve handing her a bottle of water. Thanking him, she reached out for it, and took a long sip. Sitting on the chair next to hers, Steve also took a sip of his beer, his eyes on the ocean.

"Tomorrow's the day." Kailani nodded at that, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." she answered, glancing sideways at Steve before gazing at the waves once more. "I just hope I won't ruin everything with my anxiety."

"I'll be with you." Steve reassured her, taking another sip. "We all will."

"Who'll be with the twins while we're out?"

"He's a great guy; you have nothing to worry about." Steve told her, elbows resting on his legs. "I've already talked to him, and I'm sure the girls will like him."

"And does this guy have a name?"

"His name is Max Bergman," Steve told her before chuckling. "He's the Chief Medical Examiner."

"The Chief Medical Examiner?" Kailani repeated, raising an eyebrow, "I hope he's not planning on taking my nieces to his working place."

"Don't worry; they'll be in our office. Max knows how to deal with kids, so you have nothing to worry about." Steve said, meeting her eye before taking another sip. Kailani mimicked his actions. "He's a genius who plays piano and is a comic book nerd. I think he has already come up with a plan for them."

"If you say so..." Kailani responded, not really sure about the whole situation, and Steve seemed to notice that. Turning to her, he spoke up.

"What do you say if I introduce you two tomorrow before we go? I know that doesn't give you much time to get to know each other, but I'm pretty sure it will help you loosen up. Max is...a very peculiar person."

"Well, I guess I'll have to take your word for it." Kailani said, "And you're right; meeting him would probably leave me less nervous about the whole thing. And speaking of apprehension, what about your girlfriend?"

"Who?"

"Your girlfriend..." Kailani repeated, not understanding the puzzled expression on Steve's face. "The woman who you…The woman who came here the other day... Won't she mind us going...well, to a party together? I don't want to cause any misunderstanding."

"You don't have to worry; I told Catherine about our plan, and she was okay with it." Steve told her with a nod, "Can't say she was thrilled, but she accepted it."

"Are you sure?" Kailani asked, and Steve nodded.

"We're from the Navy; we understand each other's duty." Steve said, and a smile appeared on his face. "Besides, I already made it up for her."

Kailani focused her attention on the ocean, trying not to think about the meaning behind his words. Not that she had to think hard because the look on his face spoke louder than a thousand words. Besides, she had known it all along; a man like him deserved a woman like Catherine.

"So, are we ready?" Steve asked all of a sudden, and Kailani turned to him. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that the smile had vanished from his lips, and had been replaced by a frown. She could feel power emanate from him, his willpower and vigor reflecting in the depths of his eyes.

He was ready to enter into the lion's den with her. He was ready to protect her and her nieces from any harm even if that meant risking his own life, his team...his family. As she thought about it, Kailani felt something swell in her chest, and without breaking the eye-contact, she nodded.

"We're ready."

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Note:** _Kama'a 'ole_ means _barefoot._


	9. kupuna kāne kuakahi

**Disclaimer: **_Maresia Eterna _owns nothing except the Original Characters and the plot.

**Authoress Note:** I want to thank everyone for your support, but especially to _LuB1984_ for not letting me give up! Thank you all!

* * *

**Chapter IX**  
kupuna kāne kuakahi

With slow movements, she reached out for the earrings, and put them on. Her hair was falling down her shoulders in curls, the royal blue dress clinging to her body in all right places while it flowed down her legs. Black shoes with four inch heels completed the outfit along with a matching purse. Kono had personally chosen everything; she had inclusively asked Kailani to let her do her hair before leaving to go join Chin.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, Kailani knew she had done right by letting Kono take control. She would have never done such a good job, and Kono had thought about everything from the makeup to the hairstyle, from the earrings to the bracelet.

With one last deep breath, Kailani reached out for her purse before walking out of the bedroom. Her nieces were sitting on the couch, ready to go, while Steve was standing in the middle of the room wearing a black suit with a matching tie. Kailani felt her insides twist and pull as she stared at him.

A man like him should be illegal...

"Wow! Aunt Kali, you look like a princess!" Sora exclaimed as she stood up from the couch as quickly as her injured leg allowed her to, and she went to her aunt with widened eyes. "Can you turn around, please?"

Laughing, Kailani twirled around slowly, making sure not to meet Steve's gaze. Sango had also rushed to her side, and kept looking between her and Steve.

"You look like a princess, and Uncle Steve looks like a prince!" Sango said all of a sudden when Kailani finished twirling around. Right on time too, because Kailani was not sure she would have managed to keep her balance after that comment. "Uncle Steve, you better look after Aunt Kali!"

"Yes ma'am!" Steve saluted her, and Kailani raised her eyes to look at him. The corners of his lips were curled upwards into a smile as he observed her outfit. "You look nice."

"Thank you," Kailani thanked him as she looked down at her dress, and then she added. "You look quite handsome yourself."

Walking to her, Steve gave her his arm, and Kailani accepted it. Turning to her nieces, she silently took in the way they were staring, and had to hold back a chuckle. Steve had agreed to act as if they were simply going out to a party where only grown-ups were allowed. Both Sango and Sora had complained about it at first, but once Steve told them about Dr. Max Bergman, they had grown excited about the idea of meeting the doctor.

"C'mon, let's go." Kailani told her nieces, waving a hand in front of her, and both Sango and Sora giggled before leaving the room only to be quickly followed by Steve and Kailani. Releasing Steve's arm as she turned to the door, Kailani locked it before smiling at her nieces as they made their way to the elevator.

"Don't worry about them." Steve whispered as they stepped inside the elevator, and he swiftly entwined his arm with Kailani's. "They'll be fine. Max will be great with them. Besides, when we meet him, you can interrogate him all you want."

"Don't give me any ideas or we won't make it to the party." Kailani told him, unconsciously increasing her grip on his arm. Steve simply smiled as they started to descend since Sora had already pressed the button.

When they reached the front doors of the hotel, both Sango and Sora let out _wow_ in surprise when they realized they would not be going on Steve's truck. Kailani also gazed at Steve, not really sure of what to say. As if reading her mind, Steve turned to her.

"It's Danny's. He'll be taking my truck tonight."

"Oh..."

"C'mon girls, get inside." Steve told Sango and Sora, as he opened the door, pushing the seat so that the twins could sit down. Kailani followed, and Steve closer the door behind her before walking around the car, and occupy the driver's seat.

It did not take long for the group to reach Five-0's headquarters, and walk inside the office. For a moment, everything seemed to be deserted, and both Steve and Kailani glanced around while the twins stared at their surroundings in awe.

"Max?" Steve called out as he approached his private office.

"Found it!" a voice exclaimed all of a sudden, and everyone turned to the center of the room. Appearing from underneath the table, Max Bergman emerged holding a pen disk. When he noticed the newcomers, he smiled warmly at them, not at all uncomfortable by the fact he had just emerged from underneath a table, "Oh, good evening, Steve, Miss and little girls."

"Hey Max, let me introduce you to Kailani." Steve spoke as he approached the doctor, and thus stopping him from saying anything else, "And these are her nieces, Sango and Sora."

"Oh, hello!" Max said, smiling widely at the two girls, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Steve has told me a lot about you. I was told you enjoy painting, so I thought we could begin our session with some creativity games. Since you like art, you are creative people, and as such you have to ability to think outside the box, meaning you are able to get things done in new and different ways. Then, we co—"

"Max, I'm sorry, but we really have to go." Steve interrupted him, a hand slightly in the air. "You have my phone number in case something happens."

"I can assure you that no harm will occur." Max informed them with a nod, "I have everything ready. I have brought movies, popcorn, chocolate, and pickles. I have also requested a few things from Kamekona, so you may go on our date without worrying about anything. We will be safe here."

"I'm really sorry for all this." Kailani apologized, her hands clasped in front of her legs, and Max shifted his gaze to her.

"You don't have to worry. I have taken care of many children, although, sadly, I don't have any of my own. However, after receiving Steve's information concerning your nieces, I took the liberty to bring some things I am sure they will enjoy. For instance, Steve told me about their affection for fictional characters who have been featured as part of the Disney character line-up, so I willingly searched for a few movies for them to watch while you're out on your date."

Slowly, Sora approached the Chief Medical Examiner, and stared up at him with her big, round eyes. Tilting her head to the side, she continued using her crutches for balance as she thought hard about what had just been said.

"Did you bring _Pocahontas_?"

"Alright, so I guess we'll be off then." Steve said as he grabbed Kailani's elbow, and waved. "Max, make sure nothing happens. We have chosen two units to stay in the building so don't worry if one of the officers occasionally comes here to check on you. Girls, make sure to tell Max all about your favorite Disney princesses! I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear about them."

"Sweeties, please, don't give Uncle Max a hard time, alright?" Kailani told her nieces, as she stared at them. Both Sango and Sora nodded, but Kailani knew better than to fall for their innocent charm. Resting her free hand on her hip, she kept her eyes on them. "I'm serious. I want you two to behave or we'll be having a very long talk when I come back."

"Don't worry Aunt Kali!" Sora exclaimed with a wide smile, and Sango nodded in agreement before speaking up as well. Her eyes, however, turned to Steve.

"Knight Steve, please, protect Princess Lani." she told him, and Steve saluted her, back straight, face solemn.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I swear to protect Princess Lani under any circumstances." Steve reassured her with a nod, and Sango returned the salutation much for Kailani's amusement. Sharing a glance with the Lieutenant Commander, Kailani released herself from his hand, and approached her nieces.

"Just behave, alright?" she whispered before kissing both of them on top of their heads. "Uncle Max has Uncle Steve's cell-phone number. If anything happens, you can always ask him to call us, okay?"

"Yes, Aunt Kali." the girls chorused, and Kailani smiled one last time at them before straightening up. Sharing one last look with Max, she turned around to face Steve, and walked to his side. Entwining her arm with his, Kailani looked over her shoulder one last time before turning to Steve when she felt him squeezing her arm gently.

"They'll be fine." Steve reassured her in a low voice as they walked through the front doors of the office. His eyes were locked with hers, as if trying to push away all sense of insecurity that could be disquieting the depths of her soul. "You don't have to worry. They're safe here."

Nodding, Kailani felt most tension abandon her muscles, but apprehension was still lurking, haunting her like a shadow. Silence followed them as they made their way towards the car, and it was only broken by the song that emerged from the radio when Steve revived the car. Entwining her fingers on top of her lap, Kailani looked through the window next to her.

What would they do if she ruined everything? What would she do if something happened to her nieces? Closing her eyes, Kailani took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself.

_I am here to make amends._

_Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Takahashi Saito. As you might be aware, I am Sango and Sora's great grandfather._

_A'ohe hana nui…_

".._ka alu'ia_." Kailani finished her thought, not realizing she had just said it out loud until Steve turned his head to her.

"What did you just say?"

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking…" Kailani started, as she also turned to him. "I was thinking about what Saito Takahashi told me at school. He said _a'ohe hana_—"

"…_Nui ka alu'ia_." Steve finished for her, nodding as he did. "It means _no task is too big when done together_. We believe he's trying to make us think that we're not going to walk right into a trap tonight, but obviously we cannot do that. Everyone's at their full potential tonight, and we won't be caught off guard."

"I hope I won't mess everything up…"

"Listen, you won't mess everything up." Steve told her, a hand in the air as he continued to drive. Their eyes met for a split of a second, but Kailani still noticed the way his eyes had become darker. "I know you won't mess everything up, but I need you to start believing in that as well. You cannot go in there behaving like a defenseless, lost sheep or they will attack you. I need you to be on your full potential too. I trained you exactly for that, and I won't have you doubting yourself when we're so far into the game, do you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you." Kailani nodded in response, "And I'm sorry. You are all ready to go right into the lion's dean, and I'm still here, praying I won't ruin everything…"

"Well, you can rest assure everything will go well." Steve said, once again looking at her. "I don't care if you have to tell yourself that over and over in your head, but once I park this car, and we step into that house, everyone is ought to be prepared. So, stop with the second thoughts, alright?"

"Alright…"

Kailani knew had to hold onto the promise she had vowed because as soon as that simple word left her lips, they arrived at the designated place. She felt her insides quiver as her eyes landed on the haiku house in front of her. The garden around it seemed to go on for miles, but the house, located right in the middle of the garden, was grand and simply awe-inspiring with a veranda completely surrounding the structure. Japanese lanterns had been strategically placed all over the garden and around the veranda offering a golden color to the wooden walls.

Kailani looked away from the house when she felt the car die, and she turned to Steve. He was already taking the seatbelt off, opening the door as he did, and she quickly took the seatbelt as well. As she moved on her seat, Kailani inwardly noticed the way her hands were shaking, and promptly closed them into fists. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and only looked up when she heard the door on her side being opened.

Steve's hand appeared in front of her, and Kailani reached out for it, slipping her legs off the seat as she turned to face him. Standing up, Kailani stepped aside so that Steve could close the door behind her, his hand moving up her arm until it was resting on her elbow.

The wind blew as Kailani stared at the house, and she noticed the faint aroma of spices in the air. She could hear voices emerging from the interior of the house, and her heart skipped a beat as she took in the number of cars next to Steve's. She had been so bewitched by the garden and the house that she had failed to notice the vehicles.

"Let's go..." Steve whispered, entwining their arms together, and Kailani nodded faintly at that. Together, they made their way towards the front door were a man was, dressed in a black suit, hands clasped behind his back. He silently watched as they climbed the three steps in front of him, and Kailani had to restrain herself from glancing at Steve as the man stared hard at them. Then, without saying a word, the man nodded, and stepped aside before opening the front door.

The noise seemed to increase tenfold, but Kailani blamed it on her nerves.

The interior of the house was even more magnificent, and it was exactly like a Japanese house was supposed to be. People were already wandering around, talking and drinking, and had Kailani not known the reason for their presence there, she would have thought that it was just an ordinary gathering.

"Makaio-san..." Kailani's heart skipped a beat at the familiar voice, and she looked to her side. There, standing in a yukata was non-other than Saito Takahashi himself. Steve, who also heard the voice, looked to his side as well, "McGarrett-san, thank you for coming. Allow me to welcome you to my house."

"Saito Takahashi..." Steve said, his voice strong, and the man looked away from Kailani to turn to him. "You had an interesting idea; inviting us to come here instead of attacking us head-on. Sending an invitation to the Governor was a very smart move too because you knew we'd talk to him."

"I saw no harm in inviting an old friend." Saito told him with a faint nod, hands clasped behind his back. "I hope you enjoy the meeting."

"Why delay our conversation?" Steve asked as Saito was about to turn around, and the old man locked eyes with him.

"One moment of patience may ward off great disaster." Saito began, "One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. Please, enjoy the party. I am waiting for one last guest to arrive. Once he gets here, I shall provide all answers you are looking for."

"Hey! Wait!" Steve called out as Saito turned around, and disappeared amongst the guests. "Damn it..."

"What do you think we should do now?" Kailani asked as she turned to him, and Steve looked at her, a frown on his face. "He did seem genuine..."

"Do not let yourself get fooled by his outer appearance." Steve warned her, "That would be your first mistake, and it could also be your last because our enemies would take advantage of it. I have to go find Danny. I have to let him know about this."

"Want me to go in search of Kono?" Kailani offered, and she felt Steve tense up. Raising a hand, she rested her fingers on top of his arm since it was still entwined with hers. "It's okay. I'm just trying to do what you said; I'm trying to help you."

"I don't think it's a good idea." Steve whispered as he leaned his head closer to her ear so that people could not eavesdrop. Kailani felt a shiver run up her spine at his proximity, but managed to control herself, "But you're right; tell Kono to inform Chin."

"Alright, don't worry, I'll be fine." Kailani whispered, and when Steve raised his head to look at her, she softly squeezed his arm. Smiling at the look he threw at her, Kailani had to stop herself from laughing out loud, "Just for the show, Spartan."

"Just be careful."

Nodding, Kailani released his arm, and turned her back to him. Occasionally someone would greet her as she walked past them, but no face was familiar. So, smiling and greeting them back was all Kailani could do as she continued walking around, trying to spot a familiar face.

As she walked past a window, Kailani stopped her tracks, and looked outside. The Japanese lanterns offered a golden hallo to the grass as they resembled to giant fireflies. The night was calm, perhaps a little too calm, and Kailani felt a shiver run up her spine as she thought about what that could mean.

Suddenly, a familiar silhouette appeared on the window.

"Don't look," Kono instructed her as she continued standing behind her, also without looking over her shoulder. "Where's Steve?"

"He went to look for Danny." Kailani informed her, "I also have to tell you that apparently we're all waiting for another guest. Saito himself told us that."

"Another guest?" Kono asked as she continued holding a tray with her right hand, her left arm hidden behind her back. "Did he say who?"

"No. He just said we had to wait for him before we could talk." Kailani told her, "Steve wants you to inform Chin."

"I'm onto it."

With that said, Kono walked away, and Kailani released the breath she had unconsciously been holding. Raising a hand to her chest, she focused her attention on the pair of hazel orbs that were looking back at her through the reflection on the window. She had to stay focused because straying could mean the ruin of everything.

That was when something caught her eye. Shifting closer to the window, Kailani observed as a black car parked next to all the others. Despite the light from the Japanese lanterns, she could not distinguish the facial features of the person that was stepping out of the car. He was a man with light hair, but that was all she could make out from the distance.

Could that be the guest Saito Takahashi had spoken of?

"Just talked to Danny; he's gonna keep a sharp eye. Also, I managed to successfully avoid the Governor before he pulled me aside."

Kailani tore her eyes away from the window at the sudden voice. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as Steve stopped next to her. Distractedly, she looked at the window again only to realize that the man was no longer there.

"Is everything okay?" Steve also shifted closer to the window as he spoke, his arm brushing against hers as he observed the exterior. When he turned his face to her, Kailani smiled faintly at him before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, I think your attention to details is rubbing off on me," she said, and when Steve raised both eyebrows at that, she continued. "I think someone has just arrived. I was just trying to see who it was."

"Did you succeed?" Steve asked, and Kailani shook her head once again. "It might be the guest Saito told us about…"

"Yeah…" Kailani whispered, and Steve crossed his arms against his chest. He had been just about to say something when a voice came from behind them.

"Chin just found out who the unknown guest is." Kono told them as she held a tray with both hands, and Steve and Kailani shared a look. As Steve reached out for a glass of champagne, Kailani could not help but notice the stressed look on Kono's face. A bad feeling sunk deep in her stomach. "And you won't believe it who he is."

As the words escaped from her lips, the trio heard footsteps approaching them. Glancing one last time at Steve, Kono dropped her eyes, and walked away. As for Kailani, she looked down when she felt something warm on her arm only to see Steve's fingers wrapping around her elbow. Raising her head, she noticed that he was looking ahead, a frown on his face.

Following his gaze, it took Kailani a couple of seconds to realize who he was looking at.

Her heart dropped when she saw who had just arrived.

Inwardly thanking for Steve's hand on her elbow, which stopped her from dropping down to her knees right there, Kailani leaned more against him. She felt more than saw Steve's eyes shifting in her direction while hers were locked with the man that was following Saito Takahashi towards her and Steve.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, worried by the lack of color on her face, and Kailani instinctively rested a shaking hand on his arm. Hesitantly, she tore her eyes away from the approaching man to look at him. Parting her lips, she tried to speak, but no words escaped from her frozen vocal chords.

That was when Saito and the man stopped in front of them, and Steve turned to them. Kailani, not knowing what to do as shock ran through her veins like ice, looked down for a moment before gazing at the two men as well.

"McGarrett-san, this is an old friend of mine." Saito started as he looked at Steve, who focused his stare on the unknown man. Everything in him screamed military; from his posture, to his inflexible stare. However, strangely enough, the man did not look back at him. Instead, he had his eyes focused solemnly on Kailani. "Makaio-san, would you like to do the honors of introducing these two fine gentlemen to one another?"

Kailani involuntarily increased her grip on Steve's arm. Swallowing hard, she turned to Steve, who silently took in the shaken expression on her face. He too was shocked with Saito's choice of words, and narrowed his eyes when he saw Kailani hesitantly parting her lips to speak.

"Steve," she began, her voice trembling as she kept their eyes locked, "this is Eric Makaio…my father."

**To Be Continued...**

**Note: **_kupuna kāne kuakahi_ means _great grandfather_


End file.
